Wucheng Chili

Wucheng Chili

Wucheng Chili is a geographical indication certification trademark.

Wucheng Chili is a product with geographical indication for agricultural products.

　　China’s Wucheng Chili Town has been named the “No. 1 Chili City in China,” with an annual trading volume of 250 million jin (approximately 125,000 tons) and a transaction value of 1 billion yuan.

　　Wucheng chili has a long cultivation history, documented for over 600 years. The local chronicles of Wucheng County record: “Foreign pepper (fan jiao), red in color, fresh, and spicy.” Wucheng chili is known for its thin skin, thick flesh, bright color, fragrant taste, moderate spiciness, and leads the nation in capsaicin and vitamin C content among chili products. Rich in nutrients and superior in quality, it enjoys a reputation through the ages. The product sells well across the country and is exported to countries and regions such as South Korea, Japan, and Southeast Asia, becoming a pillar industry of agriculture in Wucheng County. With a perennial planting area of about 150,000 mu (approximately 10,000 hectares), accounting for about 7% of the total chili planting area in China, and a fresh chili yield of around 350,000 tons, it has been named the “No. 1 Chili City in China” and the “Hometown of Chili in China” by the China Special Economic Development Center and the China Fruit and Vegetable Experts Evaluation Committee.

　　Distinctive Qualities

　　Wucheng County has vigorously developed the specialty chili industry, investing 150 million yuan to build the “China Wucheng Chili Town,” which “buys from and sells to all over China and connects to foreign markets.” The market covers an area of 600 mu (approximately 40 hectares) and includes seven major functional zones such as trading areas, processing areas, and service areas. It has successively introduced 36 leading domestic and international enterprises such as Qingdao Duoyuan, South Korea’s Asung, and Australia’s Aotailong, forming an industrialized pattern integrating procurement, R&D, processing, and sales.

　　Cultural Anecdotes

　　In recent years, the chili market has become increasingly prosperous and active, with trading volumes continuously expanding. To elevate the market’s standards, extend the industrial chain, and grow the specialty chili industry, the county and township party committees and governments expanded the market three times—in 1993, 1996, and 2000—enlarging its scale. In 2002, the county party committee and government carefully planned and made scientific decisions, aiming to build the “China Wucheng Chili Town” under the overall requirements of “first-class construction, scale, management, and service” and the overall goal of “buying from and selling to all over China.”

　　Geographical Scope

　　Dezhou City’s Wucheng County is located between 115°45′–116°17′ east longitude and 37°03′–37°23′ north latitude, in the northwest corner of Shandong Province, on the eastern bank of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal. It covers a total area of 748 square kilometers, with entirely flat terrain, and is renowned as the “Hometown of Chili in China.” Wucheng County administers seven towns and one subdistrict office, with a population of 370,000. The designated geographical protection area for Wucheng chili extends from Nieguantun Village in Haowangzhuang Town in the east; to Tan Zhuang Village in Jia Township in the west; to Dashiba Hu Village in Laocheng Town in the south; to Toutun Village in Sinvsi Town in the north; covering seven towns and 157 administrative villages. The total production area within the protected geographical scope is 7,000 hectares, with an annual yield of 250,000 tons.