Zhangxia Jade Apricot

Zhangxia Jade Apricot

Zhangxia Jade Apricot is a product with geographical indication.

　　Zhangxia Jade Apricot, also known as Imperial Apricot, Golden Apricot, or Han Emperor Apricot, has a cultivation history of over 2,000 years. Legend has it that when Emperor Qianlong was on his way to Mount Tai for a heavenly prayer, he passed through this area and saw golden fruits covering the mountains from afar. He ordered his attendants to pick some for tasting. The fruit was large, with thin skin, sweet and delicious, and fragrant. Delighted, Emperor Qianlong designated it as a royal exclusive, hence the name "Imperial Apricot." The planting area of Zhangxia Jade Apricot exceeds 12,000 mu, with the main production area located in Huangjiayu within Zhangxia Town. Zhangxia Jade Apricot is renowned nationwide for its large size, premium quality, sweet taste, and pleasant acidity. In 2005, the "Zhangxia" brand trademark was registered, in 2007 it passed the Ministry of Agriculture's pollution-free agricultural product certification, and in 2010 it was recognized by the Ministry of Agriculture as a national geographical indication agricultural product.

　　Features and Characteristics

　　Jade Apricot, also known as Imperial Apricot, ripens in May, with individual fruits weighing about 75 grams, and the "Jade Apricot King" weighing about 170 grams. Legend has it that Emperor Qianlong, while on his way to Mount Tai for a heavenly prayer, passed through this area and saw golden fruits covering the mountains. He ordered his attendants to pick some for tasting. The fruit had a pleasant sweet-and-sour taste, premium quality, and delightful flavor, which greatly pleased the emperor. Thus, it was designated as a royal exclusive, giving rise to the name "Imperial Apricot." Apricot fruits are highly nutritious, containing various organic compounds, essential vitamins, and minerals, making them an extremely valuable fruit. Apricot kernels are even more nutritious, rich in protein, crude fat, sugar, phosphorus, iron, potassium, and other minerals, as well as multiple vitamins, making them an excellent tonic. Apricot fruits have significant medicinal benefits and hold an important place in traditional Chinese medicine, primarily used to treat wind-cold lung diseases, quench thirst, moisten lungs, resolve phlegm, and clear heat and toxins. Apart from being eaten fresh, apricot flesh can also be processed into dried apricots, canned apricots, apricot chips, and apricot paste. Apricot kernels can be made into almond powder, almond milk, almond oil, and more.

　　Industry Development

　　In recent years, the town has vigorously developed the jade apricot planting industry. Currently, the planting area of "Zhangxia Jade Apricot" has reached over 12,000 mu, earning it the title of "Ten-Thousand-Mu Jade Apricot Garden." It is mainly distributed across 17 villages including Louyu, Yuezhuang, Taoyuan, Zhifang, and Jiaotai, with approximately 600,000 trees. To leverage advantages and create platforms for increasing residents' income, the town’s Party committee and government have held eight consecutive Apricot Blossom Festivals and Harvest Festivals. In 2009, through multi-channel fundraising, a 5.8-kilometer mountain-looping highway was paved, further improving infrastructure and local rural production and living conditions. To regulate the market and enhance quality, the town has guided fruit farmers to establish four specialized cooperatives, including the Yuezhuang Women’s Jade Apricot Cooperative and the Huangjiayu Jade Apricot Cooperative. The establishment of these cooperatives has united all fruit farmers, unifying standards, packaging, pricing, and sales. This allows farmers to sell their produce at good prices without leaving their villages, while also improving their risk resistance and effectively advancing the pace of agricultural industrialization. The town also places great emphasis on training fruit farmers, inviting city and district fruit tree experts to conduct three to five training sessions each year in the fields, providing on-site guidance on apricot tree management, pruning, fertilization, and pest control. This has improved both the quality and yield of the jade apricots. The estimated total yield of jade apricots in 2010 is 6 million jin, with a production value of 12 million yuan.

　　The geographical protection area of Zhangxia Jade Apricot is located within Huangjiayu, Zhangxia Town, Changqing District, Jinan City, Shandong Province. It lies 23 kilometers south of Jinan City and 25 kilometers south of Mount Tai. National Highway 104, the Beijing-Fuzhou Expressway, and the Beijing-Shanghai Railway run north-south through the town, and it is 7 kilometers away from the site of the 7th International Horticultural Exposition. The area includes 17 administrative villages, with a population of 12,000, covering a region of 4,000 hectares. Of this, 800 hectares are used for jade apricot cultivation, with an annual total output of 3,500 tons. It has been listed as Project No. 3 of the Jinan Mayor’s Key Projects and one of Jinan’s Eight Major Fruit and Forest Bases, currently the largest jade apricot production base in Shandong Province. Geographic location: between 116°43′–117°03′ east longitude and 36°23′–36°30′ north latitude, with an average elevation of 234.1 meters.