Longan from Guiping

Longan from Guiping

　　Guiping is a well-known longan-producing region in Guangxi, famous both at home and abroad for its abundant and high-quality longan harvest. The main varieties grown are Dawuyuan and Guangyan, which feature large fruits with thick, crisp, and tender flesh that tastes as sweet as honey and is refreshingly delicious. Dawuyuan longans yield about 60 to 80 fresh fruits per kilogram, with the largest ones producing only 36 to 40 fruits. They are ideal for fresh consumption or for processing into fresh-meat canned longan syrup. Guangyan yields about 80 to 120 fresh fruits per kilogram, with larger ones producing 60 to 70 fruits, making them suitable for processing into longan flesh and dried longan. Longan from Guiping and its various processed products have long been favored by manufacturers and consumers both within and outside the region.

　　Longan holds high economic value. In addition to being eaten fresh, it can also be processed into dried fruit. Fresh longan, when sun-dried or oven-dried, is called dried longan and can be stored for long-term consumption. Once the shell and pit are removed, dried longan is referred to as longan flesh. Guangxi’s specialty, dried longan flesh, is renowned both at home and abroad, and the “dried longan flesh” produced in Guiping is among the best. Recently, a new product made from fresh longan pulp—canned longan syrup—has become very popular with consumers. The longan pit contains up to 70% starch and can be used to make wine, aromatic paste, or processed into activated carbon. The wood of the longan tree is hard, with fine grain, making it an excellent material for crafting handicrafts, vehicles, boats, and furniture.

　　Dried longan flesh is bright yellow, transparent, dry, and rich in sugar content. When soaked, it blooms into a plum blossom shape and is a traditional, premium tonic. It is believed to “strengthen vitality, improve intelligence, promote lightness and longevity, and connect with the divine,” and can be stored for a long time when kept in a dry, sealed container.

　　In addition to its medicinal uses, people in Guangdong and Guangxi often cook dried longan flesh with sand ginseng, polygonatum, and pork to make a sweet yet not greasy soup, served as a refreshing summer dish known as Qingbuliang. Alternatively, they boil eggs with dried longan flesh as a tonic for new mothers or those recovering from illness. Dried longan flesh can also be infused with various tonic herbs to make medicinal wine, which has special therapeutic effects for patients with neurasthenia or deficiency of both qi and blood, and is also a common health drink for the elderly and those with weakened constitutions.

　　The main production areas of longan in Guiping County are towns such as Jintian, Jiangkou, and Nanmu, with Jintian Town alone accounting for one-fifth of the county’s total output. The county currently has over 400,000 longan trees, with peak annual production reaching 3.4797 million kilograms in 1981—close to the highest pre-liberation yield and ranking first in Guangxi that year. It is also a major export commodity with a high foreign exchange earning rate for the county. The fresh fruit is sold across the country and in Hong Kong and Macau, while the famed dried longan flesh and canned longan syrup

　　are also exported to Europe and the United States.