Zhaozhou Snow Pear

Zhaozhou Snow Pear

　　  Huangguan Pear (Crown Pear): An early-ripening variety, also known as "Early Golden." Huangguan Pear is a new, highly superior early-ripening variety hybridized by the Shijiazhuang Fruit Research Institute in Hebei Province, using Snow Pear as the female parent and Japanese Shinseiki Pear as the male parent. It boasts an attractive appearance, excellent quality, early fruiting, and high yield. The fruit is large, with an average single fruit weight of 238 grams. It has an oval shape, smooth and rust-free skin, very small lenticels, tender flesh, no stone cells, and a very good taste with a honey-like aroma. It contains 15.5%–16% soluble solids, making it top-grade. With 11.4% soluble solids, 8.07% soluble sugar, and 0.2% titratable acid, the fruit ripens in mid-August.

　　    Li Shizhen’s *Compendium of Materia Medica* from the Ming Dynasty records: "Snow Pear is sweet, cool, and slightly acidic," and it has the functions of "clearing the heart and moistening the lungs, promoting bowel movement, relieving pain and inflammation, and when sliced and applied to burns, easing pain without causing rot." According to modern medical research, snow pear can promote saliva production, quench thirst, stimulate appetite, aid digestion, eliminate phlegm and dispel wind, sober up the body, and detoxify sores. Snow pear syrup or paste made with traditional Chinese herbs such as Fritillaria cirrhosa, honey, or rock sugar can significantly treat acute and chronic bronchitis. Snow pear also serves as an auxiliary fruit for treating hepatitis, cirrhosis, hypertension, coronary heart disease, and other diseases. Therefore, Snow Pear is honored as the "Famous Fruit of China" and the "Best Pear in the World."

　　    Zhaozhou has over two thousand years of history cultivating Snow Pears. The variety is premium and widely loved by consumers. In 1996, it was officially named and awarded the honorable title of "Hometown of China’s Snow Pear."

　　　　   Zhaozhou Snow Pear is primarily produced in Zhao County, Shijiazhuang City, as well as in nearby areas such as Jinzhou, Xinji, and Gaocheng, covering approximately 200,000 mu with an annual output of around 500 million jin. Its fruit is abundant and large, with an average single fruit weight of over 300 grams, and the largest fruit reaching up to 1,900 grams.

　　　　   Snow Pear matures and is harvested in early September. It has high yield, good storability and transportability, strong adaptability, and broad production prospects.

　　　　   Zhaozhou Snow Pear gets its name from its snow-white flesh, resembling jade and snow. It is vividly described as: “As big as a fist, as sweet as honey, and as crisp as water chestnut.”

　　　　   Moreover, Zhaozhou Snow Pear has been found to contain various organic acids, minerals, proteins, and vitamins.

　　　　   It has the effects of promoting saliva, moistening dryness, clearing heat and toxins, and resolving phlegm and cough. Since the Qin and Han dynasties, it has been chosen as a royal tribute through successive dynasties and remains a delicacy at state banquets to this day. Known as the "Best Pear in the World," its fruit shape is oblong or oval, with a bright golden-yellow color, crisp and juicy texture, sweet and fragrant flavor, and about 13% soluble solids content, reaching up to 16.5%.

　　　　   Zhaozhou Snow Pear has unique quality. In 1985 and 1989, it won the national championship for high-quality fruits twice. In 1993, it received the gold award at the "1993 China High-Quality Agricultural Products and Scientific and Technological Achievements Expo" in Bangkok, Thailand, and in 1997, it earned the highest honor—the "Huludao Cup" Award—at the "National Autumn Fruits TV Performance Competition." It is sold in over 20 countries and regions across Asia, Africa, Europe, and America. In 1986, Zhao County was designated by the Ministry of Agriculture as a "Snow Pear Commodity Production Base."