Guangyang Jujubes

Guangyang Jujubes

　　In the northern mountainous region of Zhenping County, nestled among rolling hills and rugged ridges stretching for hundreds of miles, grows a type of naturally forested jujube. Prized for its high value, it is widely loved both at home and abroad. This is the Zhenping Guangyang Jujube.

The Guangyang Jujube is round in shape, with thick flesh and a small pit that contains a kernel. When shaken, the kernel makes a rattling sound, which is why it is also called the “Guangyang Round Bell.” Every autumn, layers of green leaves set off clusters of jujubes like “agate,” swaying cheerfully in the wind, a dazzling and delightful sight. The Guangyang Jujube is known for being sweet when eaten fresh and deliciously flavorful when dried, making it an indispensable favorite in daily life and a go-to fruit for health and wellness. Zhang Zhongjing, an eminent ancient Chinese physician originally from Zhenping and revered as the “Medical Sage,” once praised the jujubes highly after encountering a shipment from his hometown while serving as prefect of Changsha. He remarked, “The Guangyang Jujube is large, fleshy, honey-sweet, pleasantly flavored, and mild in nature, making it a harmonizing ingredient in medicine,” and noted that it “helps treat abdominal evils, dissipate diseases, and invigorate blood circulation.” As a result, jujubes were used in 63 out of the 113 prescriptions recorded in his classic work, Treatise on Cold Damage Disorders. Since then, people have praised the Guangyang Jujube with sayings such as “Three jujubes are better than one chicken” and “To live a long life, eat three Guangyang jujubes a day.” Legend has it that when Wang Mang pursued Liu Xiu during the Western Han Dynasty, Liu Xiu picked and ate the jujubes to stave off hunger and was so impressed that he later designated them as a tribute fruit sent annually to the imperial court, earning them the title “Imperial Jujube.” Another tale tells of Li Desheng, a scholar-official from Shifosi in Zhenping during the Qing Dynasty’s Jiaqing era, who, while serving as magistrate in Dongchuan, Yunnan, was treated to a banquet where a bowl of “Guangyang Red Jujube Soup” strung with silver threads was served—meant to be admired and sipped, but not to be eaten, underscoring the jujube’s exceptional value.

The Guangyang Jujube has a history of over two thousand years. According to historical and geological records, Guangyang (Town) is located in Erlong Township, Zhenping County, at the southern foot of the Funiu Mountains in Henan Province. Originally part of the Xiangjiang Strait, geological movements and crustal changes caused the seabed sedimentary rocks to gradually emerge, forming an area surrounded by water on three sides and backed by mountains on the other, creating a swirling lake-like landscape reminiscent of a “vast ocean”—hence the name “Guangyang,” which has been retained to this day. The Spring and Autumn period text Guanzi·Du Di states: “To establish a capital, one must rely on rivers, ‘making use of the advantages of heaven and earth to nurture its people and raise livestock.’” As a result, Guangyang became a strategic military location contested by warring factions. To this day, local legends such as “Wang Mang Chasing Liu Xiu” and “Five Dragons and Two Tigers Cornering Yan Zhang” are still told here.

Perhaps it is through word of mouth—people spreading the fame of the fruit and the fruit spreading the fame of the people—that the Guangyang Jujube has gained renown both domestically and abroad. From the Nanyang Geographic Chronicles, we find records stating: “To the southeast of Gaogao in Zhenping (now Guangyang Village in Erlong), the hills are abundant in jujubes.” The Guangyang Jujube originally came from natural jujube forests. These primeval jujube groves spanned over 70 li from east to west and over 40 li from north to south, covering half the county. Historical accounts vividly describe the area’s jujube abundance: “Layer upon layer of jujube forests stretch from mountain to mountain, blotting out the sky across a hundred li; monkeys swing on old tree branches, and deer and elk roam the shaded thickets.” In Houianpan Village, Wanggang Township, Zhenping County, there still stands a 300-year-old jujube tree with a trunk diameter of 1.6 meters, yielding 300–500 kilograms of fruit per year.

The Guangyang Jujube is not only famous throughout China but has long been exported overseas. In the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, eight major jujube trading businesses were established in the main production areas, and in bumper harvest years, the county could produce up to 2.5 million kilograms of dried jujubes. According to both the Nanyang Geographic Chronicles and the Zhenping County Annals: “The Zhao River in Zhenping was originally the Nie River, originating from the back mountains, flowing into the Xiangjiang and then into the East Sea. The abundant Guangyang Jujubes from Gaogao (now Erlong) were transported by wooden boat to the regions of Hunan, Hubei, Guangdong, and Guangxi, and then re-exported to Southeast Asian countries…” Historically, the Guangyang Jujube was sold overseas under the brand name “Tizhuang Yuanling” (Packed Round Bells). In July 1981, the first issue of China’s Famous Products, published by the China Industry and Commerce Publishing House, listed the Zhenping Guangyang Jujube as one of China’s Four Famous Fruits (namely: lychee, longan, loquat, and Guangyang jujube). In February 1982, the book China’s Jujubes, published by the China Forestry Publishing House, included Zhenping as one of the country’s major jujube-producing regions. In recent years, the Zhenping County Party Committee and County Government have fully leveraged the brand advantage of this premium specialty product, promoting eco-agriculture and developing the fruit and forestry industry in line with local conditions. This has led to even greater development of the famous specialty. Today, in Zhenping—the home of “China’s Guangyang Jujube”—over 4 million jujube trees have been planted, yielding more than 5 million kilograms of dried jujubes annually, making it another key green export industry for the county.