Qianbei Celery

Qianbei Celery

　　It is named after the villages of Da Qianbei and Xiao Qianbei in Zhangcun Town, Pinglu. Local farmers grow the celery in greenhouses, harvesting two crops per year with an annual output of over 500,000 kilograms.

　　　 The celery comes in both winter-sown and spring-sown types, but the winter crop dominates. Owing to the area’s distinctive water, soil, and climatic conditions, Qianbei celery is fiber-free, tall-stemmed, and crisp with a fragrant taste—qualities that have made it famous across Shanxi, Shaanxi, and Henan. In addition to supplying local demand, most of the produce is sold to Shanxian County in Henan, Sanmenxia, and Xi’an in Shaanxi. Legend has it that during the invasion of Beijing by the Eight-Nation Alliance, when Empress Dowager Cixi and Emperor Guangxu fled to Xi’an and later passed through Shanzhou on their return, they tried Qianbei celery and highly praised it, even issuing an imperial edict for it to be sent as a tribute to the palace every year. Since then, the demand for Qianbei celery has soared, prompting increased cultivation.