Imperial Pear (Palace Pear)

Imperial Pear (Palace Pear)

　　The traditional and specialty product of Gaocheng — the duck pear, also known as elegant pear, was historically referred to as the Imperial Pear of Zhending. As it was once traded by companies at the Tianjin port, it is also called Tianjin Duck Pear, making it one of the oldest and finest fruit varieties in the land of Yan and Zhao. The cultivation of Gaocheng duck pears has a long history. According to the "Book of Zhou · Qin IV," around the 13th century BC, on the riverbanks of the Hutuo River, wild crabapples (sand pears) appeared. Through selection and cultivation by laborers and hybridization with the pear-leaved crabapple, the sand cells disappeared, giving rise to a cultivated variety — a wild variant crabapple (the later pear tree) — which was widely planted in the Hutuo River flats, forming extensive pear orchards. Sima Qian of the Western Han Dynasty wrote: "South of Changshan, between the rivers He and Ji, there were thousands of pear trees, and their owners were as prosperous as lords of a thousand households." It is recorded that the Changshan Commandery was established in the first year of Emperor Wen of the Western Han Dynasty (179 BC), governing two counties: Feilei and Jiumen (both now part of Gaocheng). In the northern part of Feilei County, near the Hutuo River, there was a village called Liyuanzhuang, which is said to have been named after a large pear orchard in the village. This shows that over 2,000 years ago, pear cultivation already existed in Gaocheng. Due to its exceptional quality, the duck pear was regarded as a premium fruit by the imperial court and nobility of the Han Dynasty and was presented to the palace. It was named "Imperial Pear of Zhending" after its place of origin — the Zhending Kingdom — and was selected for cultivation in the Shanglin Garden’s "Tangli Palace" and "Liyuan." Records of the "Imperial Pear of Zhending" originating from the Zhending Kingdom can also be found in historical texts such as the "Miscellaneous Records of the Western Capital" and the "Records of Flowers and Trees of Luoyang." The Zhending Kingdom was established in the fourth year of the Yuanding era of the Western Han Dynasty (113 BC), governing four counties: Zhending, Gaocheng, Feilei, and Mianman, with both Gaocheng and Feilei located within today’s Gaocheng area. With changes in natural conditions, the cultivation area of duck pears gradually expanded. By the 1930s, the county had over 2,000 acres of pear orchards, producing more than 20,000 kilograms of fresh pears annually. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the development of "three rivers and one old course" facilitated the growth of the pear fruit industry. There are now over 100,000 acres of pear orchards, yielding approximately 70,000 tons of fresh pears annually, establishing Gaocheng as a production base city for duck pears. The pears typically weigh between 150–200 grams, with an attractive shape and elegant color. They have a small core, thin skin, white flesh that is fine, crisp, sweet, and juicy. Their sweet-and-sour taste is refreshing and thirst-quenching, offering high nutritional value that both supplements human nutrition and helps treat certain ailments. Gaocheng duck pears have long enjoyed a prestigious reputation in domestic and international markets, earning recognition as one of the "Three Great Fruit Lords." They are not only popular across various provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions in China but are also a major traditional export fruit, shipped to more than ten countries in Europe, America, and Southeast Asia, including Canada, the UK, the Philippines, with an annual export volume of nearly 1,000 tons. (Gaocheng)