Longevity Rice

Longevity Rice

　　Longevity rice grains are slender, glossy, and translucent. When cooked, they are fluffy, smooth, and delicious. The rice is rich in water-soluble protein and over ten types of free amino acids, as well as minerals such as iron, calcium, zinc, and phosphorus. It also contains various nutrients including vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin D, and vitamin C. It has the effects of nourishing yin and kidney, strengthening the spleen and liver, improving vision, and promoting blood circulation, making it a rare health food.

　　Longevity rice originated in Fushouyuan, Zhougou Township, Jianli County, and has a very long production history. During the Tongzhi reign of the Qing Dynasty, the magistrate of Jianli County presented Longevity rice as a tribute to the imperial court, where it won the favor of Empress Dowager Cixi, who bestowed upon it the name “Longevity Rice.” Both “Longevity Rice” and “Fushouyuan” derive their names from this. Over time, due to factors such as natural disasters and the loss of cultivation techniques, Longevity Rice disappeared along with the Longevity rice variety. More than a hundred years later, in 1983, farmer Ping Zuohu of Zengwang Village in Zhougou Township miraculously discovered a medium-sized stalk with two tillers and a large panicle in a field of medium-height dwarf rice. He carefully harvested it, planted 9 square meters the following year, yielding 11 kilograms of grain, with a per-mu yield of 812.5 kilograms. In 1985, Ping Zuohu planted 3 mu of this rice, harvesting 2,100 kilograms with a yield of 700 kilograms per mu. News spread quickly, and farmers from near and far rushed to exchange seeds. Because it required less seed, and was suited to sparse and even transplanting in the field, it was named “Sparse Planting,” also called “Hu’s Selection.” The emergence of Sparse Planting drew significant attention from experts and officials. Historical records were reviewed and experts confirmed that Sparse Planting was none other than the long-lost Longevity rice. The rediscovery of Longevity rice was a great joy for the people of Jianli. In 1986, when Longevity rice first entered the market, many grain merchants mistook it for the then-rare and expensive glutinous rice, making it highly sought after. Later, the leaders of the Zhougou Grain Management Office had the foresight to finely process it and market it under the name “Little Thai Rice,” achieving a sensational breakthrough in both southern and northern markets. The Jianli Grain Bureau further innovated by packaging Longevity rice to compete with “Si Miao Rice” and “Mao Ya Rice,” favored by people in Guangdong and Fujian. With its advantages of high yield, superior quality, strong market demand, and premium pricing, Longevity rice brought significant economic benefits to local farmers. In recent years, in Zhougou Township—the birthplace of Longevity rice—approximately 40,000 mu of Sparse Planting are cultivated annually, accounting for about 90% of the total mid-season rice area. Its average yield exceeds that of similar early indica rice varieties by more than 75 kilograms per mu, resulting in an annual increase of 3 million kilograms. Calculated at a price premium of 0.20 yuan per kilogram over similar rice, farmers earn an additional income of around 4.4 million yuan per year, averaging nearly 1,000 yuan per household.

　　Longevity rice has long become the dominant mid-season rice variety in Jianli County. According to statistics from the County Party Committee’s Rural Work Department, in 1993, the total planting area of Longevity rice reached 337,000 mu, accounting for 67% of the mid-season rice area. By 1994, it exceeded 500,000 mu and had been extended to counties and cities such as Jiangling, Honghu, Qianjiang, and Taoyuan in Hunan Province, showing a continuing trend of expansion.

　　The development of Longevity rice has received high attention from relevant departments and experts. Zhang Qiongjiang, the Party Secretary of Jianli County, and Xia Junqin, the County Magistrate, urged the rapid promotion of Longevity rice as an advantageous product for developing market-oriented agriculture across the county. On September 8, 1993, the Office of the Hubei Provincial Variety Approval Committee organized experts from the Provincial Science and Technology Commission, Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Huazhong Agricultural University, and the Changsha Modern Agriculture Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences to conduct on-site research and variety identification of the extensively planted Longevity rice in Zhougou Township. They concluded that: Longevity rice has a moderate plant type, high setting rate, suitable growth period for cultivation in lake areas, strong adaptability, suitability for sparse planting, and saves labor, seed, and investment. Testing by the Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences’ Testing Center showed that the comprehensive evaluation of Longevity rice’s nutritional quality and cooking quality met the standards of second-grade premium rice, with its processing quality reaching the first-grade premium rice standard. Tasting tests found its flavor to be superior to that of Shanyou “63.” On September 28, 1993, Hubei Economic Daily published a report titled “Sparse Planting Becomes Popular in Jianli,” covering Zhougou’s Longevity rice. This was followed by detailed reports from Farmer’s Daily, Hubei Daily, Hubei Farmer’s Daily, and Farmer’s Friend on the evolution, characteristics, and test results of Longevity rice. For a time, the value of Longevity rice soared, and buyers flocked in. In March of this year, a grain trading company from Hainan Province approached the Zhougou Township Grain Management Office and paid a deposit of 1 million yuan upfront for 3 million kilograms of rice. The Public Security County Grain School even sent personnel with capital to Zhougou to establish a refined rice factory for Longevity rice.

　　Once favored by Empress Dowager Cixi, today Longevity rice makes Jianli thrive and Zhougou prosper!(Jianli)