Tancheng Chestnuts

Tancheng Chestnuts

　　Tancheng Chestnuts

　　Chestnuts are a renowned local specialty of Tancheng and one of the country’s key chestnut-producing regions, with a history spanning several hundred years. Known as “wooden grain,” chestnuts have long been hailed as an “iron crop.” They are sweet, fragrant, and highly nutritious, regarded since ancient times as a premium food. According to the *Compendium of Materia Medica*, chestnuts are sweet in flavor and warm in nature, with effects such as nourishing the stomach, strengthening the spleen, tonifying the kidneys, fortifying tendons, activating blood circulation, and stopping bleeding, making them highly valuable medicinally. The *Compendium of Materia Medica* states that:

　　For those suffering from internal cold,

　　or sudden severe diarrhea, eating two or three roasted chestnuts can provide immediate relief. Chestnuts are one of China’s traditional export commodities,

　　and enjoy a high reputation in the international market.

　　Tancheng chestnuts are mainly planted along the banks of the Shu River and Yi River, across more than 10 towns and townships including Tancheng, Gaofengtou, Honghua, Matou, Shengli, and Xincun. Before the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the county had

　　20,000 mu of chestnut orchards,

　　with a peak annual yield of 2 million jin.

　　Historically, a chestnut village belt stretching dozens of li had formed along the Shu River. Among them, Dongzhuang and Bazhai were concentrated production areas,

　　with many chestnut trees and high yields, earning the nicknames “Golden Dongzhuang” and “Silver Bazhai.”

　　Due to wartime destruction and indiscriminate logging during the Cultural Revolution,

　　chestnut production dropped significantly. Before the 1970s, only 8,000 mu of chestnut orchards remained, with 70,000 trees, and annual yields hovered around 500,000–600,000 jin. After the Third Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee, yields increased substantially, surpassing one million jin. In recent years, with collaboration between the county science commission, forestry authorities, and local towns and villages, research institutions were established,

　　conducting extensive experiments on dwarfing and grafting of chestnut trees, dense planting, high-yield techniques, and replacing old varieties with grafted scions. These efforts achieved successful results such as dwarfing and dense planting, grafting young trees, fruiting within three years,

　　and yielding 448 jin per mu by the fourth year. Across the county, these pilot projects drove large-scale development of chestnut cultivation. By 1994, the county’s chestnut orchards had expanded to 40,000 mu, with 3 million new and old trees planted. Annual production reached a historic high of 3.5 million jin.

　　This drove significant development in chestnut cultivation. By 1994, the county had expanded its chestnut orchards to 40,000 acres, with 3 million newly planted and existing chestnut trees. Annual production reached a historical high of 3.5 million jin (approximately 1,750 metric tons).

　　Tancheng chestnuts are divided into two main types: oil chestnuts and hairy chestnuts. Among them, Tancheng Large Oil Chestnuts are the finest, with large kernels (about 40 per jin), glossy and shiny appearance, tender flesh, sweet flavor, and high stickiness. In recent years, through two rounds of selective breeding, superior individual varieties such as Tancheng 207, Tancheng 023, and Panlong Chestnuts have been developed. Approved by provincial authorities as regionally recommended varieties,

　　they have been promoted both within and outside the province. At the 1983 National Exhibition on Export Commodity Production Base Construction Achievements,

　　Tancheng chestnuts were displayed and received an honorary certificate from the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation. For over a decade, Tancheng chestnut exports have continued to expand, selling well in Japan, South Korea, Singapore,

　　Hong Kong, and other regions and countries. Japanese buyers specifically request Tancheng Large Oil Chestnuts. Tancheng chestnuts have earned a high reputation in the international market and are widely renowned.