He Village Lotus Root

He Village Lotus Root

　　　    A renowned specialty of Heshan. The cultivation of lotus root in He Village, Zhaowu Town, dates back to the founding of the village in the second year of the Xianchun era (1266) during the Southern Song Dynasty—over 700 years ago—with a tradition that “where there’s a village, there’s lotus root.” Before the village was established, the area was originally a marshland. The locally grown lotus root features thick stems, few nodes, high sugar content, low fiber, and abundant starch. It is high-yielding and of premium quality, making it a traditional local specialty. In the past, only about 150 mu (1 mu = 666.7 m²) were typically planted, but now the cultivation area has expanded to over 900 mu (including nearby areas such as Shuanglong), yielding an annual total production of 1,350 tons. The product is in high demand, and apart from supplying the local market, it is also exported to places such as Zhongshan, Zhuhai, and Macau.