Jingzhou Carved Flower Preserves

Jingzhou Carved Flower Preserves

　　Jingzhou Carved Flower Preserves, also known as "Myriad Flowers Tea," is a traditional craft-art food from Jingzhou. It is made by meticulously carving various roots, stems, leaves, flowers, and fruits of melons, vegetables, and fruits using small willow-leaf-shaped knives. These preserved items serve as traditional craft tea snacks, tonics, decorative pieces, and edible artworks. The carved designs include exotic flowers, birds, animals, human figures, landscapes, and vessels. The carving techniques are divided into flat engraving, through-carving, and relief carving, creating three-dimensional, lifelike shapes. Originating in the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, this art has been passed down through generations and became a tribute delicacy offered to the imperial court.

　　　Jingzhou preserves have a long history and are masterpieces crafted by skilled women. The process involves slicing immature green pomelo fruits, then carving them with willow-leaf knives into patterns such as dragons, phoenixes, fish, shrimp, flowers, birds, insects, leaves, and scenes like "Magpies Celebrating Plum Blossoms," "Peacocks Displaying Their Feathers," "Swallows Pecking Mud," "Two Dragons Playing with a Pearl," "Chang’e Flying to the Moon," and "Fish Playing in Water." These slices are rinsed in water, mixed with white sugar or honey, and dried to create the final product. They are crispy, sweet, fragrant, not only delicious but also valued for their medicinal benefits in moistening the lungs and promoting saliva. Besides green pomelo, other ingredients like winter melon, cucumber, vegetable melon, tomato, bitter melon, red beans, sword beans, melon tubes, and wild eggplant are used. Melons are cut into rectangles, diamond shapes, four-pointed stars, and other patterns; bitter melon is carved with bumpy textures; sword beans are twisted into triple-knot or button-knot designs; sword beans are also woven into orchid shapes; tomatoes are shaped into crabapple flowers; wild eggplants are crafted into jade hairpins; and melon tubes are turned into immortal pillars. These preserves make excellent gifts.

　　　　In March 2009, the Jingzhou Carved Flower Preserves technique in Hunan Province was listed as part of the second batch of provincial intangible cultural heritage, ensuring better protection and preservation of this traditional handicraft closely tied to the lives of the local Miao and Dong people.

　　　　Long History: Aroma That Grows With Time

　　　　Carved Flower Preserves are not only a unique ethnic food but also an exquisitely crafted art piece, beautiful as if carved from jade, with distinctive shapes and colors. This folk art treasure perfectly blends culinary culture with ethnic heritage. Originating in the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, evolving in the late Five Dynasties period, and passed down through generations, it became a tribute delicacy offered to the imperial court. The craft is concentrated in Qiyang Town and surrounding areas of Jingzhou Miao-Dong Autonomous County in southwestern Hunan.

　　　　Carved Flower Preserves are the crystallization of wisdom among the Miao and Dong people of Jingzhou. Clever ancestors realized that too many pomelo fruits would stunt their growth, so they picked the excess young fruits—called "beating the fruit." Rather than waste these, skilled women carved them into intricate patterns, depicting beautiful imagery from daily life.

　　　　Legend has it that one year, after three days and nights of continuous heavy rain, floods submerged Jingzhou City. People gathered on the northern hillside for refuge. As their food ran out, they survived on wild tea and tree roots. A Dong woman named Tianjie discovered an unripe pomelo under a tree. She took a bite and found it unbearably bitter. Wondering how it would taste with honey, she soaked it in honey. The pomelo absorbed the sweetness, becoming fragrant and flavorful, with a lingering citrus aroma. Later, Tianjie’s preserves were introduced. Over time, ingenious Dong girls began carving thin pomelo slices into various patterns, refining the technique through generations until it became a unique specialty of Jingzhou.

　　　　Unique Craftsmanship: Divine Artistry

　　　　The tools and materials for making carved flower preserves include various sizes of willow-leaf knives, kitchen knives, iron pots, alum, porcelain plates (basins), premium white sugar, and a variety of fruits and vegetables. Using roots, stems, leaves, flowers, and fruits, artisans meticulously carve patterns with fine willow-leaf knives, following specific processes to create traditional tea snacks and decorative pieces. Also called "Myriad Flowers Tea," pomelo preserves are highly storable, earning the nickname "natural fruit canned goods," with green pomelo carvings being especially prized. Other ingredients include winter melon, cucumber, vegetable melon, tomato, bitter melon, red beans, sword beans, melon tubes, and wild eggplant, cut into rectangles, diamond shapes, four-pointed stars, and more. Bitter melon is carved with bumpy textures; sword beans are twisted into triple-knot or button-knot designs; sword beans are also woven into orchid shapes; tomatoes are shaped into crabapple flowers; wild eggplants are crafted into jade hairpins; and melon tubes are turned into immortal pillars. Each ingredient offers unique colors, shapes, and flavors.

　　　　Even before eating, the intricate and amusing patterns of carved flower preserves whet the appetite. Their unique taste, refreshing flavor, and crisp, sweet, fragrant goodness come from pomelo slices and premium white sugar. They can be eaten directly, crunching satisfyingly in the mouth, or steeped in hot water—especially popular with children and the elderly. A common local method is to steep the preserves in hot water for 3–4 minutes in a cup, sometimes adding dates or floral tea. The resulting infusion is crystal-clear, sweet, and fragrant, with a healthy, green-tea-like quality. Women often store the preserves in ancestral blue-and-white porcelain jars, serving them during festivals or for honored guests. A few pieces steeped into sweet, aromatic tea are presented to visitors, who invariably praise the hostess’s skill.

　　　　Cultural Significance: More Precious Than Gold

　　　　Carving flower preserves is a creative art form full of ingenuity. Skilled women slice pomelos into uniform rounds or fans, then wield their willow-leaf knives to showcase their talent. Like admired artists, they twist, pierce, pare, and lift the knife, sending flakes flying as they swiftly carve chrysanthemums or fish. The process is swift and precise, with smooth lines, delicate cuts, and lifelike shapes. The designs are endlessly varied: two dragons playing with a pearl, peacocks displaying their feathers, mandarin ducks in water, magpies holding plum blossoms, eagles spreading wings, swallows carrying spring, crab and shrimp soldiers, fluttering bees and butterflies, double happiness knots, double joy patterns, blessings at the doorstep… The dazzling array of creations is breathtaking.

　　　　The art of carved flower preserves has thrived for over 2,000 years, contributing to the development of Chinese folk art, especially carving. Rooted in everyday life, it reflects the cultural psyche and historical layers of ethnic traditions, showcasing unique artistic forms and rich Miao-Dong cultural meaning. From concept to execution, it embodies the Miao-Dong people’s historical legacy, aesthetic values, and distinct national spirit, achieving an artistry that is both refined and accessible. The complex production process represents the collective wisdom of Jingzhou’s people and cannot be replicated by modern technology. It highlights their creativity and craftsmanship, serving as a meaningful testament to the diversity and evolution of Chinese culture.