“Houlonghong” Sweet Potato

“Houlonghong” Sweet Potato

　　The “Houlonghong” sweet potato, also known as the “Houlonghongxinzi” sweet potato, is produced in Houlong Village, Chao’an County, Guangdong Province.

The natural village of Houlong (also called Helong) was established during the Song Dynasty. In the early years of the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty, farmer Su A’er from Houlong Village transplanted the “Potou Yellow” sweet potato from Potou Village, Raoping County (then under the jurisdiction of Chaozhou Prefecture) to his hometown. Due to differences in soil quality, the original “Potou Yellow” sweet potato underwent changes—the skin turned from light yellow to crimson, the flesh shifted from orange-yellow to a cinnabar-red hue, and what was once a crumbly texture became smooth and tender, remarkably resistant to overcooking. Its originally bland taste transformed into an aroma reminiscent of water chestnuts and lotus, with a hint of honey sweetness. From then on, the “Potou Yellow” became the “Houlonghong.”

In the 23rd year of the Jiajing reign (1544), scholar Su Zhiren from Houlong Village passed the imperial examination as a Jinshi in the Jia Chen class, was appointed as a judicial official of the Chi Prefecture, and before long was promoted to the position of Principal Clerk of the Ministry of Personnel in the capital, becoming one of the famous Seven Eminent Scholars in the history of Chaozhou Prefecture. On one occasion, when he returned to his hometown from the capital to visit his family, he specially brought back a basket of “Houlonghong” sweet potatoes. On his birthday, he served them as a dish at a banquet for officials from the Six Ministries. After tasting them, all the officials were full of praise. For a time, “Houlonghong” became widely renowned in the capital and throughout the imperial court.

Soon after, Emperor Jiajing of the Ming Dynasty, also known as the Ming Shizong Emperor, heard of the fine reputation of the “Houlonghong” and tried it himself. In the end, he exclaimed admiringly, “‘Houlonghong’ is truly a rare and exquisite delicacy!” Thereafter, “Houlonghong” was designated as an imperial tribute gift and gained fame throughout the land. It is said that both the imperial tribute records of the Ming Dynasty court and the local chronicles of Chaozhou Prefecture contain clear records of this.

By 1960, Su Duqing, a native of Houlong Village who was selected as a representative of a delegation to visit Beijing, also presented “Houlonghong” as a gift to Chairman Mao Zedong. There have always been many anecdotes about celebrities tasting “Houlonghong.” In the late Qing Dynasty, when Fang Yao, Commander of the Humen Fortress in Guangdong, visited Chaozhou, he also spoke highly of “Houlonghong” after tasting it. In the book “Chaozhou Recipes” compiled by Zhu Biaochu, a special-grade chef of Guangdong Province, dishes primarily made with “Houlonghong” are included in the advanced banquet dessert menu.

The way to eat “Houlonghong” sweet potatoes is to cook them as a dessert. The specific method involves peeling the potatoes first, then slicing them, soaking them in water, drying them, and finally putting the sugar, water, and slices together into a pot to simmer slowly over low heat for a whole day. The result is a texture that is smooth, delicate, and incredibly sweet. To this day, giving red-hearted sweet potatoes as gifts when visiting relatives and friends remains a trend among the people of Houlong. Overseas villagers returning to China even go to great lengths to bring these heavy sweet potatoes to foreign lands.