Longevity Tribute Rice

Longevity Tribute Rice

　　Longevity rice was one of the three tribute products of Meijiang in ancient times. It gets its name from Longevity Village, which is more than ten li away from Huangluowan. Legend has it that Zhu Yuanzhang, who was a leader under Guo Zixing’s command at the time, led his army in battle and once ate a meal of rice in Longevity Village — a taste he never forgot for the rest of his life. After Zhu Yuanzhang ascended to the throne, he issued an imperial decree designating Longevity rice as tribute rice. Longevity Village sits at an altitude of over 400 meters, featuring a high mountain climate with warm days and cool nights. The soil has an organic matter content of over 4.2%, belonging to irrigated paddy soil.

　　Thanks to long hours of sunlight and the soil’s rich organic content, Longevity rice is known for its bright color, long grains, sweet and mellow flavor, fragrant aroma, and a texture that is both japonica-like and slightly sticky. Nowadays, large areas are planted with hybrid rice, and while the grain length is close to that of Thai rice, the quality is even better.