Purple Crag Tribute Rice

Purple Crag Tribute Rice

Purple Crag Tribute Rice is a product certified with a Geographical Indication for Agricultural Products.

　　The mists of history unfold a warm scroll, and the gentle visage of the Purple Crag Qin people’s terraces lies quietly in Shuiche Town, Xinhua County, Hunan. As a unique gem of mountain rice cultivation culture, it bridges ancient and modern times, witnessing millennia of heritage and leaving behind legendary poetry, its footprints imprinted across time and space.

　　Purple Crag Black Fragrant Rice, also known as Black Tribute Rice, enjoys reputations such as “Medicinal Rice,” “Longevity Rice,” and “Black Pearl.” Legend has it that after Emperor Qin Shi Huang unified China, he sent envoys far and wide in search of the elixir of immortality. His officials arrived at Fengjia Mountain in Ziquejie (now Shuiche Town and Fengjia Town, Xinhua County, Hunan), located in the western Hunan region, where they collected a type of “divine medicine” (i.e., Purple Crag Black Fragrant Rice). After consuming it, Qin Shi Huang felt his muscles and bones relax, his body energized, and his hunger vanish—he believed it would extend his life and thus called it “Longevity Rice.” Later, Emperor Wu of Han referred to it as “Divine Rice,” and still later, Emperor Qianlong tasted it during his southern tour and ordered the Xinhua County government to annually contribute 100 dan (a unit of weight) of this rice as imperial provisions, hence naming it “Tribute Rice.” According to the *Xinhua County Annals*, the Mafen clay fields developed from the weathering of Lushan Period orthoclase rocks in Laocun Village produce high-quality “aromatic rice,” historically known as “Tribute Rice.” The *Compendium of Materia Medica* records that Tribute Rice nourishes yin, benefits kidneys, strengthens the spleen, warms the stomach, improves vision, and invigorates blood circulation. Modern medicine confirms that regular consumption helps prevent dizziness, blurred vision, anemia, premature graying, eye diseases, and weakness in the lower back and legs.

　　Purple Crag Tribute Rice is unpolished black rice processed from black glutinous rice—a precious grain rich in various nutrients and health benefits. Its grains are short and round with a black husk and emit a fragrant aroma. Once cooked, the rice turns a purplish-black color, with a rich fragrance, soft texture, and no stickiness.

　　Analysis by the Rice and Rice Products Testing Center of the Hunan Academy of Agricultural Sciences shows that Purple Crag Tribute Rice is abundant in starch, protein, fat, cellulose, multiple vitamins, as well as minerals such as iron, calcium, zinc, and selenium, along with essential trace elements required by the human body. It also contains a rich variety of amino acids. Notably, all eight essential amino acids for humans—including lysine, tryptophan, arginine, and methionine—are present in the rice. Particularly valuable is the finding that the ash content of Purple Crag Tribute Rice is alkaline. This unique alkaline quality aligns with a new anti-cancer approach promoted by Swiss scholars: regulating the body’s acid-base balance.

　　Professors Xu Qingguo from Hunan Agricultural University and Associate Researcher Gong Haoru from the Rice Research Institute of the Hunan Academy of Agricultural Sciences believe that the exceptional intrinsic quality of Purple Crag Tribute Rice (Black Fragrant Rice) makes it a rare health-promoting rice among all current rice varieties. Its outstanding quality and rarity are specifically reflected in:

　　Purple Crag Tribute Rice contains 10.16% protein, which is 1.37% higher than that of ordinary polished rice; the total amino acid content per 100g is 14,193.0mg, 71.4% higher than that of ordinary polished rice; lysine content is 611.0mg per 100g, 96% higher than that of ordinary polished rice; methionine content is 293.0mg per 100g, 240.7% higher than that of ordinary polished rice; threonine content is 543.0mg per 100g, 113.5% higher than that of ordinary polished rice; phenylalanine content is 792.0mg per 100g, 48.4% higher than that of ordinary polished rice; isoleucine content is 499.0mg per 100g, 48.9% higher than that of ordinary polished rice; leucine content is 1,255.0mg per 100g, 63.4% higher than that of ordinary polished rice; and valine content is 752.0mg per 100g, 29.9% higher than that of ordinary polished rice.

　　Additionally, histidine, recognized as one of the essential amino acids for children, is present at 365.0mg per 100g, 100% higher than that of ordinary polished rice. These test results clearly demonstrate that Purple Crag Tribute Rice is rich in amino acids with an excellent composition, making it particularly suitable for the nutritional needs of children and the elderly.

　　Remarkable Health Benefits

　　Thanks to its wealth of trace elements, Purple Crag Tribute Rice boasts high nutritional value and remarkable health effects.

　　Purple Crag Tribute Rice contains 16.72mg of iron per kilogram, 248.3% more than ordinary polished rice; regular consumption helps maintain iron balance in the body, improving children’s mental state, concentration, preventing iron-deficiency anemia, promoting growth, enhancing immunity, preventing fatigue, and more.

　　Purple Crag Tribute Rice contains 138.55mg of calcium per kilogram, 116.5% more than ordinary polished rice; regular consumption helps maintain calcium balance in the body, preventing colon cancer, treating and preventing osteoporosis during menopause, reducing muscle spasms, lowering blood pressure, maintaining strong bones and healthy teeth, and alleviating insomnia.

　　Purple Crag Tribute Rice contains 23.63mg of zinc per kilogram, 81.8% more than ordinary polished rice; it helps enhance the immune system, accelerate internal and external wound healing, regulate testosterone metabolism in the prostate, prevent loss of taste and smell, avoid reproductive dysfunction, eliminate white spots on nails, and reduce cholesterol.

　　Purple Crag Tribute Rice contains 0.08mg of selenium per kilogram, 17.8% more than ordinary polished rice; regular consumption helps prevent cancer, women’s menopausal disorders, heart disease, and circulatory system illnesses, as well as dandruff.

　　In addition, Purple Crag Tribute Rice contains 80.1% starch, which ensures a sufficient source of energy for the human body. Therefore, regular consumption aids in liver detoxification, protein conservation, and ketone body reduction. The rice also contains 1.34% crude fiber, which helps fill the intestines, promote intestinal motility, stimulate digestive fluid secretion, and reduce cholesterol absorption. Regular intake is highly beneficial for preventing arteriosclerosis and colorectal cancer.

　　Geographical Scope

　　The Purple Crag Region: The Purple Crag area (hereinafter referred to as Purple Crag) is located within Shuiche Town, Xinhua County, Hunan Province. Xinhua County sits in the central-western part of Hunan, nestled at the southeastern foot of the Xuefeng Mountains and spanning both banks of the middle reaches of the Zi River. Its geographical coordinates are 27°31′–28°14′ N, 110°45′–111°41′ E. It borders Lianyuan and Lengshuijiang City to the northeast and south, neighbors Xinshao and Longhui counties to the south and southwest, adjoins Xupu County to the west and northwest, and connects with Anhua County to the north. The county covers a total area of 3,567 square kilometers, including 530,000 mu (approximately 35,333 hectares) of paddy fields and 206,000 mu (approximately 13,733 hectares) of dry land. The annual rice planting area is 800,000 mu, with an average yield of 472 kg per mu and a total output of 377,789 tons. Purple Crag is situated at the southwestern corner of Xinhua County, 60 km from the county seat, under the jurisdiction of Shuiche Town. Its geographical coordinates are 27°40′–27°45′ N, 110°01′–110°52′ E. The Purple Crag region (including Shuiche, Wentian, and Fengjia towns) spans a total area of 2,155 square kilometers, with a population of 100,000. The annual rice planting area is 12,000 hectares, yielding 45,000 tons per year.