Qingshui Yellow Millet

Qingshui Yellow Millet

Qingshui Yellow Millet is a product certified with a Geographical Indication for Agricultural Products.

　　Millet, also known as foxtail millet, is the seed of the millet plant from the grass family. "Qingshui Yellow Millet" is also referred to as "Qingshui Yellow." Millet is widely grown in northern China, but the millet from the Qingshui Basin at the foot of Mount Li, where the Taihang, Taiyue, and Zhongtiao mountains meet, is of the highest quality. Legend has it that Chen Tingjing, the chief reviser of the Kangxi Dictionary and a high-ranking official of the Qing Dynasty, was the teacher of Emperor Kangxi. To show respect for his teacher’s mother, Emperor Kangxi went to visit her. It was the height of summer, and Chen’s mother lived at the “0 Hermitage Summer Resort” within Qingshui County. She served Emperor Kangxi millet porridge. The emperor noticed the millet was golden in color, with plump grains. The cooked rice had a rich aroma, was soft yet not sticky, which greatly pleased him. He then rested under a unique large white pine at the entrance of the resort and noticed a humorous poem: “Emperor Shun farmed Mount Li, through five thousand years of time; rice flowers bloom everywhere under heaven, yet only Qingshui’s fragrance is sublime.” The emperor then insisted on taking Qingshui Yellow Millet back to the palace for his meals and personally inscribed the words “Jade-like Dragon Scales” on the stone wall at the root of the white pine. The inscription still exists today. Since then, “Qingshui Yellow Millet” has become a tribute to the imperial court.

　　In 2003, Qingshui Yellow Millet was certified as a “Green Food” by the China Green Food Development Center. In 2005, its registered trademark was listed as a “Famous Trademark of Shanxi Province,” and in 2008, it was designated as a “Famous Brand Agricultural Product of Shanxi Province” by the Shanxi Provincial Quality Products Center.

　　According to the “Shennong’s Classic of Materia Medica,” “millet tastes slightly sweet and cool, nourishes kidney qi, dispels stomach cold, treats diabetes (known as 消渴), and promotes urination.” It has high health and nutritional value. Due to Qingshui County’s specific hilly terrain, unique ecological environment, large diurnal temperature variation, ample sunlight, and abundant rainfall, these natural conditions are particularly conducive to the growth and maturation of millet, facilitating the accumulation and transformation of nutrients in its grains. The millet varieties grown here are of superior quality, including Jin Gu 21, Jin Gu 40, Jin Gu 41, and Jin Gu 42. The grains are golden yellow, uniformly sized, and of premium quality. The millet growing period lasts 120–135 days. It is drought-resistant and thrives in poor soil, yielding 250–300 kilograms per mu. Currently, the planting area spans 100,000 mu, with an annual total output of up to 30 million kilograms.

　　Qingshui Yellow Millet is highly nutritious, surpassing polished rice in nutritional value. It is rich in protein, fat, carbohydrates, calcium, phosphorus, iron, starch, vitamins B1, B2, and C, among others. Its vitamin B1 content is 5–6 times that of polished rice, ranking first among all grains. The Qingshui Yellow Millet industry serves as an important pathway for mountain farmers in Qingshui County to achieve prosperity.

　　Qingshui Yellow Millet

　　Geographic Range

　　Qingshui County is located in the southeastern part of Shanxi Province, the northwest of Jincheng City, northeast of the Zhongtiao Mountains, and along the middle reaches of the Qinhe River, a tributary of the Yellow River. The county is surrounded by mountains: to the east, it borders Gaoping City and Zezhou County via Laoma Ridge and Yueshen Mountain; to the west, it meets Yicheng County across Dongwu Ridge; to the south, it connects with Yangcheng County and Yuanqu County via Xianweng Mountain and Shunwangping; to the north, it neighbors Fangshan Ridge, Guandi Ridge, and Ningjun Mountain, adjacent to Fushan County, Anze County, and Zhangzi County. The production area of Qingshui Yellow Millet includes 14 townships in Qingshui County: Zhongcun Town, Tuwo Township, Zhangcun Township, Longgang Town, Fancunhe Township, Suzhuang Township, Zhengzhuang Town, Duan Shi Town, Jiafeng Town, Zhengcun Town, Hudi Township, Guxian Township, Shili Township, and Shizhuang Town, covering 251 administrative villages. The geographic coordinates are between 112°47′00″–115°55′00″ east longitude and 35°24′00″–36°04′00″ north latitude.

　　Product Quality Characteristics

　　1. External Sensory Characteristics: Qingshui Yellow Millet is golden yellow in color, with plump grains. When cooked, the rice has a rich, aromatic flavor, is soft yet not sticky, and emits a strong millet fragrance. 2. Internal Quality Indicators: Qingshui Yellow Millet is highly nutritious, surpassing polished rice in nutritional value. It is rich in protein, fat, carbohydrates, calcium, phosphorus, iron, starch, vitamins B1, B2, and C, among others. Its vitamin B1 content is 5–6 times that of polished rice, ranking first among all grains. The vitamins in Qingshui Yellow Millet have unique benefits: Vitamin B1, which ranks first among all grains, helps harmonize the body, nourish kidneys, clear heat, detoxify, benefit the spleen and stomach, alleviate thirst, and relieve diarrhea. It also helps prevent beriberi and peripheral neuritis. Vitamin B2 helps prevent and treat angular cheilitis, chapped lips, glossitis, conjunctivitis, and seborrheic dermatitis. It participates in the metabolism of sugar, protein, and fat, maintains normal visual function, and promotes growth. Vitamin C helps prevent and treat acute and chronic infectious diseases, enhances the utilization of iron and carbohydrates, supports the synthesis of fat and protein, maintains immune function, hydroxylates 5-hydroxytryptamine, preserves vascular integrity, and promotes the absorption of non-heme iron. Qingshui Yellow Millet is also rich in trace elements such as calcium, phosphorus, and iron, which help strengthen bones and muscles, activate blood circulation, invigorate the spleen and protect the liver, nourish kidneys and promote urination. 3. Safety Requirements: Product safety complies with the NY5305---2005 Pollution-Free Food Millet Standard (DB140721/T002-2005).