SITANG Water Chestnuts

SITANG Water Chestnuts

　　Lingui SITANG water chestnuts have a long planting history and are renowned for being exported overseas. During the Qianlong era, they were even presented as tribute. Unlike starch-processing varieties, SITANG water chestnuts are fruit-type, meant to be eaten fresh. They are flat-round in shape, with thick flesh and a rosy skin that’s easy to peel. Celebrated for their large size, thin skin, vibrant color, crisp sweetness, and tender texture. Rich in vitamins, minerals, and water chestnut essence, they offer heat-clearing, thirst-quenching, and summer-relieving benefits. They can be enjoyed fresh as a fruit or cooked as a vegetable—both methods yield exceptional flavor. With over 10,000 acres planted annually and a yield exceeding 20,000 tons, this is the country’s largest fruit-type water chestnut base. Known as “underground fruit,” SITANG water chestnuts earned Lingui the title of “Hometown of Water Chestnuts” in 2008, along with the registered trademark “Wanshan Qianshan.”

　　To develop the water chestnut industry, the Lingui County government has implemented supportive policies and strengthened brand-building efforts, promising a bright future for the sector. The county now hosts over a dozen small-scale primary packaging and processing enterprises, two water chestnut cooperatives, and achieves an annual total output value of 70 million yuan—with potential for yearly growth.

　　Everyone knows the water chestnuts from SITANG Township in Lingui County are famous far and wide. This year, SITANG water chestnuts have enjoyed another bountiful harvest, and it’s once again the annual harvesting season. Our on-site reporter will take you to the fields to see how these water chestnuts are harvested.

　　SITANG Township plants tens of thousands of acres of water chestnuts every year, and this year is no exception—not only has the planting area expanded compared to last year, but the yield is also better than in previous years. When asked about their secret, local farmers say it might be due to planting at the right time.

　　Villager from Jiepai Village, SITANG Township

　　Xu Xiusong

　　We plant about a week before the Start of Autumn

　　Water chestnuts planted around this time generally turn out better in quality

　　Those planted a week after the Start of Autumn aren’t as good

　　Most areas near Guilin plant water chestnuts around the Start of Autumn—that is, around the same time as the second rice crop. So why are the water chestnuts here particularly large and well-shaped?

　　Villager from Jiepai Village, SITANG Township, Xu Xiusong

　　Water chestnuts mostly depend on soil quality and fertilization management

　　Plus seed selection

　　The seeds we use this year can still be saved for planting next year

　　With good water chestnut seeds, fertile field soil, and the locals’ rich experience in cultivation, yields can exceed 1,500 kilograms per mu.

　　Villager from Jiepai Village, SITANG Township

　　Xu Xiusong

　　I think planting water chestnuts is quite troublesome

　　Planting isn’t troublesome

　　Harvesting is

　　It takes a lot of manual labor to dig them up

　　It takes twenty workers to harvest one mu of land

　　Almost every household in this village grows water chestnuts—some have just over a mu, while others have five or six. When harvest season comes, the whole family pitches in, and it still takes a month or two to finish. Step into any home here, and you’ll see piles of freshly harvested water chestnuts. Look at these—the host offers them to guests. Aren’t they beautiful? Not only are they large and well-shaped, but they’re also crispy and sweet.

　　Villager from Jiepai Village, SITANG Township

　　Xu Xiusong

　　These water chestnuts are all pretty good—which kind is tastier and more tender?

　　The short-stemmed ones are crisper and have less fiber

　　This kind is definitely a bit older.

　　This one is used as starch, right?

　　For making soup or hot pot, this kind tastes better.

　　Nowadays, in Sitang Township, water chestnuts basically don’t need to be carried to the market by farmers for retail sale anymore. People come early to designated points to buy them. After harvesting, the water chestnuts don’t need to be washed clean—they’re dried with a small amount of soil still on them, then packaged and shipped out.

　　Xu Xiusong, villager of Jiepai Village, Sitang Township

　　How long can citizens keep them after buying?

　　Tear open this transparent tape.

　　Open the lid of the box.

　　Generally, they can be kept for about one or two months.

　　If you want to keep them longer, is there any way to preserve them longer? You’ll need to dry them again in the sun.

　　Pour them out of the box to dry, then pack them in a small nylon bag.

　　That way, they can be kept for at least three or four months.

　　If you buy water chestnuts that are already washed clean at the market, you can only eat them fresh. If you want to keep them for a while, you have to buy the ones with mud on them—and of course, they shouldn’t be damaged.