Duocheng Honey Dates

Duocheng Honey Dates

　　　　Legend has it that on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month in ancient times, the Heavenly Gate was said to open. On that day, Bai Feng, a fairy maiden from the Queen Mother’s palace, peeked through the Heavenly Eye down to the mortal world. She saw lush mountains, clear waters, and people living harmoniously—men farming and women weaving—a life far less lonely than the one in Heaven, which stirred her desire to descend to the mortal realm.

　　　　After Bai Feng descended to the Luopang region near Xining (now Yunan County), she fell in love with a hardworking and handsome young man named A Long. In their second year of marriage, they had a baby boy whom they named Long’er. The family of three lived a happy and contented life. However, in a particular year, a drought struck—the fields cracked, and the crops withered. One day, Bai Feng, carrying Long’er on her back, went to the fields to inspect the crops. Just then, Long’er began to cry. To soothe him, she held him in her arms to breastfeed. By chance, a drop of her milk fell onto the field, and instantly, the withered crops revived, sprouting ears and filling with grain. Overjoyed, Bai Feng set Long’er down and sprinkled her milk across the fields. Before long, large areas of crops regained vitality. A day in Heaven is equal to three years on Earth. When the Queen Mother discovered Bai Feng’s disappearance, she summoned the Wind-Ear and Thousand-Mile Eye to investigate and learned that Bai Feng had eloped to the mortal world and landed in the Luopang area. Furious, the Queen Mother ordered the Heavenly General Tota to lead an army of celestial soldiers to Luopang. From the sky, they proclaimed the decree commanding Bai Feng to return to Heaven immediately. But Bai Feng refused. The heavenly soldiers struck her with an Immobilization Pearl, revealing her true form and transforming her into Bai Feng Mountain. Long’er was thrown by the celestial troops into the Xijiang River.

　　　　Meanwhile, A Long, upon hearing the news, rushed over but could not find his beloved wife or son. For seven days and nights, he walked along the Xijiang River, calling out for them. His voice grew hoarse, and his feet grew too tired to carry him. In the end, he transformed into a tall white jujube tree. Soon after, wherever A Long had walked or stood, a footprint would sprout into a white jujube tree. Bai Feng’s milk turned into

　　a gushing spring of sweet water, nourishing the jujube trees day and night. After being cast into the river, Long’er transformed into a beautiful carp. Because the spring water, formed from Bai Feng’s milk, flowed into the Xijiang River, Long’er caught the scent of his mother’s milk and swam ashore in search of her. Discovering that his mother had become Bai Feng Mountain and his father had become a white jujube tree, he turned himself into a carp-shaped stone, gazing toward Bai Feng Mountain and the jujube trees along the riverbank. This stone was later also referred to as “Carp Quilt.”

　　　　From then on, the people of Luopang planted crops and jujube trees. They used mineral water from Bai Feng Mountain to make honey dates—thin-skinned, soft, and sweet like honey. Even today, many white jujube trees still grow along the riverside of Luopang. During the 1960s and 1970s, both Luopang and Duocheng towns established honey date processing factories, specializing in purchasing white jujubes to produce honey dates for sale both domestically and abroad. At the time, the Duocheng Honey Date Factory was the largest, employing over 200 workers. After purchasing the white jujubes, the factory would hire temporary labor to scrape the skins, outsource some scraping work, and operate day and night to produce the honey dates. Once dried, the dates were packed into bags and boxes labeled “Duocheng Honey Dates” and shipped out. Known for their small pits, thin skins, golden color, soft texture, and sweet yet not cloying taste, Duocheng Honey Dates became a favorite for eating or as an ingredient in soups, making them a popular gift item. The dates were even exported to Asia, Africa, and Europe. As a local specialty product, Duocheng Honey Dates gained fame throughout the region. However, after the 1980s, due to a sharp decline in white jujube production and a lack of supply, the Duocheng Honey Date Factory was closed.

　　　　Production process of Duocheng Honey Dates: First, use a jujube-scraping tool called “needle comb” (made by attaching about five to six thin needles to a bamboo strip using thread) to scrape the surface of the white jujubes. Then, boil them in a steam pot, remove them, and soak them in cold water to cool. Next, dry off the moisture and place them in a large pot with pre-prepared sugar syrup made from boiling white sugar. Stir repeatedly until the syrup is fully absorbed. Then, use a large bamboo sieve to drain the syrup and allow the dates to cool. Afterward, press each date with the thumb and index finger to form a concave shape. Place the dates in a large bamboo basket and dry them outdoors until they are completely dry and turn golden yellow—these are the finished honey dates.