Guilin Ginkgo

Guilin Ginkgo

　　Ginkgo, also known as white fruit, is one of the specialties of Guilin, Guangxi. With a cool nature and rich nutrition, ginkgo is especially suitable for consumption in summer. The Xing’an and Lingchuan counties in the Guilin region enjoy distinct seasons, moderate temperatures, and abundant rainfall, creating ideal conditions for ginkgo tree growth. As a result, Xing’an produces large quantities of high-quality ginkgo. The “Ten-Mile Ancient Ginkgo Forest” in Xing’an is renowned both domestically and internationally, boasting 2,370 ancient ginkgo trees over a hundred years old. The county’s total ginkgo-growing area spans 30,000 mu. Guilin serves as a distribution hub for ginkgo. At banquets, delicious dishes such as ginkgo soup, pigeon eggs with ginkgo, and soft-shelled turtle with ginkgo are often served. Ginkgo can also be used medicinally: it helps resolve phlegm, relieve coughs, promote urination, nourish lungs, and regulate menstruation. Stewed old duck with ginkgo is particularly effective in treating frequent urination. Ginkgo sugar water and sweet ginkgo porridge can quench thirst, promote saliva production, and help relieve summer heat and refresh the spirit.

　　 Guilin ginkgo is a highly profitable cash crop. Its fruits are oblate in shape, orange-yellow in color, wider at the top and narrower at the bottom. Each hundred kilograms of husked fruit yields more than 27 kilograms of seeds, with silver-white shells and particularly large kernels—about 280–300 kernels per kilogram, classifying them as premium-grade fruit. The kernels are sweet with a fragrant aroma, sticky in texture, rich in nutrition, and of excellent quality. In the 1970s, it was rated by national ginkgo experts as one of the top ten best ginkgo varieties in China, and also among the top varieties selected for promotion due to their early bearing, high yield, premium quality, and large fruit size.