Cangxi Snow Pear

Cangxi Snow Pear

Cangxi Snow Pear is a geographical indication protected product.

Cangxi Snow Pear is a geographical indication certified trademark.

　　Cangxi County is situated in the northern part of Sichuan Province, along the middle reaches of the Jialing River. With a long history of cultivating snow pears, the area’s soil and climate are highly suitable for fruit tree growth. The Cangxi Snow Pear is known for its large size, small core, crisp and tender flesh, rich juice, fragrant taste, and sweetness that dissolves smoothly. It is a large fruit variety, usually weighing about 500 grams per pear, with the largest exceeding 1.5 kilograms. The edible portion can be as high as 90.4%. Cangxi Snow Pears are excellent for fresh consumption and can also be processed into canned goods or used in cooking. The “Cangxi Snow Pear Paste,” made from the pear and the traditional Chinese herb white cardamom, is a highly effective remedy for soothing the lungs and relieving coughs.

　　The Cangxi Snow Pear originated in the 1950s at the Yunshan Michurin Horticultural Farm and has since spread across four towns and three townships, particularly thriving in Wenchang, Yuedong, Yunshan, and Baiyan. Currently, there are 700,000 traditional pear trees, 200,000 newly grafted trees of improved varieties such as 5–51, 6–2, and 1–28, and 100,000 early-ripening varieties including New Century, Cuiguan, and Zhongli No.1. Seven science education demonstration zones (areas) for snow pears have been established along transportation routes such as the Cangba Line and Cangshi City, and over 5,000 acres of pollution-free pear bases have been developed at the county level or above. Techniques such as bagging the pears and using moth-attracting lamps have been widely promoted. Annual production totals more than 120,000 tons, with an output value of 20 million yuan.

　　The new Cangxi Snow Pear strains 5–51 and 6–2 are two superior hybrid varieties bred from Cangxi Snow Pear and Hebei Duck Pear parent trees. They were certified at the provincial level in 1991 as “superior new strains.” The technology behind this project won the Third Prize for Scientific and Technological Progress in Sichuan Province in 1992. In 1994, during the Sichuan Provincial Quality Fruits On-site Evaluation, the new strains 5–51 and 6–2 ranked sixth and first, respectively. The fruit of these new strains is melon-shaped, with yellowish-brown skin. The fruits are uniform in size, typically weighing 300 grams each, with the largest reaching 427 grams. The flesh is snow-white, fine-textured, tender, and easy to separate from the core. The core is small, the juice is abundant, and the taste is refreshingly sweet and tangy with a strong aroma. Each 100 ml of juice contains 8.70 grams of sugar, 0.09 grams of acid, and 14–15% soluble solids. These pears store and transport well and are suitable for both fresh consumption and processing.

　　The new Cangxi Snow Pear strains have vigorous tree vigor and relatively upright growth posture. They exhibit strong budding ability but weaker branching capacity. A single tree can sprout once a year, mainly bearing fruit on short fruiting branches, especially chicken-claw-like ones. This variety is early-bearing, highly productive, and maintains stable yields. Grafted seedlings start to bear fruit in the third year after planting and reach peak production between 4–5 years, yielding 1,000–1,500 kilograms per mu during peak years. The market price for fresh new strain pears is 4–5 yuan per kilogram, resulting in income of 6,000–7,500 yuan per mu. Therefore, planting the new Cangxi Snow Pear strains offers high economic returns.

　　The new Cangxi Snow Pear strains are highly resistant to adverse conditions and adaptable, making them suitable for cultivation in most provinces and cities across China.

　　The geographical indication protection area for Cangxi Snow Pears is defined according to the “Report on the Protection Area of Cangxi Snow Pear Geographical Indication Products” (Cangfu [2007] No. 171) issued by the People’s Government of Cangxi County, Sichuan Province. It covers the administrative regions of 21 towns and townships: Lingjiang Town, Yuanba Town, Longshan Town, Yunshan Town, Yunfeng Town, Yuedong Town, Yueshan Township, Dongqing Town, Wenchang Town, Hedi Township, Shuanghe Township, Qiping Town, Baiyi Town, Shimashi Town, Baishan Township, Zhongtu Township, Tingzi Township, Pengdian Township, Baiqiao Town, Baihe Township, and Zhesui Township in Cangxi County, Sichuan Province.