Youyang Chinese Cabbage

Youyang Chinese Cabbage

Youyang Chinese Cabbage is a geographical indication certification trademark.

　　Youyang Chinese Cabbage

　　Agricultural Service Center of Maoba Township, Youyang Tujia and Miao Autonomous County

　　Chinese cabbage originated in China. More than 6,000 years ago, cabbage seeds were found in an earthenware pot unearthed at the Banpo site from the Neolithic Age in Xi’an; this predates other grain crops native to China. In ancient times, Chinese cabbage was called “song” (菘), and it was already being cultivated during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, with the earliest recorded name dating back to the Han Dynasty. During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, it was one of the most commonly consumed vegetables in southern China. By the Tang Dynasty, different varieties such as white song, purple song, and ox-tripe song had emerged. In the Song Dynasty, Lu Dian’s *Piyah* stated: “Song does not wither in winter, is visible all four seasons, has the resilience of pine, hence its character is ideographic, and the Herbal Classic considers it resistant to frost and snow.” By the Yuan Dynasty, it began to be commonly called “Chinese cabbage” among the people. In the Ming Dynasty, the herbalist Li Shizhen wrote in the *Compendium of Materia Medica*: “Song does not wither late in winter, is visible all four seasons, has the resilience of pine, hence it is called song. What is commonly called Chinese cabbage today is clean and white in color.” The *Compendium of Materia Medica* also records some of the medicinal values of Chinese cabbage.