Shixing Bayberries

Shixing Bayberries

　　Bayberries belong to the Myrica genus and are also known as "Longqing" or "Zhu Hong." They are named for their resemblance to waterberry fruits and their plum-like flavor. Bayberries offer a variety of medicinal benefits, including aiding digestion, removing dampness, relieving summer heat, stimulating saliva and cough relief, improving digestion, providing warmth, stopping diarrhea, promoting urination, and preventing cholera. They are hailed as the "agate of fruits."

　　Shixing is the hometown of Zhang Jiuling, a famous prime minister of the prosperous Tang Dynasty. It is the oldest ancient prefecture in northern Guangdong, boasting beautiful surroundings and a pleasant climate. It is nationally renowned as a key forestry county and a pilot region for ecological demonstration zone construction, with a forest coverage rate of 75.6%. The cultivation of bayberries in Shixing dates back 300 years, primarily concentrated in the Jiangkou Town area of Shixing County, with over 10,000 acres planted. Its large scale, high yield, wide influence, and extensive reach rank it foremost in Guangdong Province.

　　Shixing bayberries are known for their plump shape, large size, small pits, bright color, rich flavor, and excellent storage and transportability. They are highly nutritious—each kilogram contains 0.3g histidine, 0.28g threonine, 0.13g glutamic acid, 3.1g protein, 1.28g vitamin C, and 0.006g iron. The pits also contain the anti-cancer substance vitamin B17. Shixing bayberries ripen early, usually harvested around the Dragon Boat Festival each year. The product enjoys strong market demand and has been recognized as a Guangdong Provincial Famous Product, pollution-free agricultural product, green food, and organic agricultural product.

　　In 2010, Shixing County was awarded the title of "China's Hometown of Bayberries." In October of the same year, the high-yield and efficient production of quality bayberries in Shixing was listed as a Guangdong Province "One Township, One Product" project. By December of that year, bayberry production in Shixing was designated as a provincial agricultural standardization initiative. The bayberry industry in Shixing has received high-level attention and support from national, provincial, and municipal leaders.

　　Currently, there are three main enterprises producing Shixing bayberries: Shixing Hongyuan Fruit Industry Co., Ltd., Shixing Wushi Family Farm, and Shixing Xiangnan Private Green Ecological Park. Among them, Shixing Hongyuan Fruit Industry Co., Ltd., established in 2010, is a limited liability company primarily engaged in the planting, development, and sales of premium agricultural products such as Dongkui bayberries and White Jade loquats. The company owns the registered trademark "May Red" for its Dongkui bayberries. In 2009, its bayberries were certified as national green food. Shixing Wushi Family Farm, founded in 2013, is a family farm mainly dealing in the seedlings and fruit sales of premium agricultural products, including the "Yueshan Hong" brand bayberries. Its current operation area spans over 50,000 acres.