Huaren Winter Jujube

Huaren Winter Jujube

　　Huaren Winter Jujube is a famous specialty of Renshou County, Meishan City, Sichuan Province. Developed through over a decade of meticulous research and repeated trials by the Huaren Winter Jujube Professional Cooperative of Renshou County, it was successfully cultivated in 2001, filling a technical gap where jujube had never been produced in China’s southwestern region.

　　Expert evaluations show that the yield and quality of Huaren Winter Jujube far surpass those of similar northern varieties. Analysis by nutrition experts in Beijing revealed that Huaren Winter Jujube contains 19 essential amino acids required by the human body, with a content of 0.985 mg per 100 grams; it also includes 1.65% protein, 0.26% total flavonoids, 0.87 mg/kg niacin, and especially high levels of vitamin C — 500–600 mg per 100 grams, which is 70 times that of apples and 120 times that of pears. Additionally, it is rich in vitamin A, vitamin E, the anti-cancer compound cyclic adenosine monophosphate (CAMP), as well as various trace elements such as potassium, iron, and copper. It offers notable benefits for blood production, energy boosting, skin nourishment, and cancer prevention, earning it the top rank in fruit nutrition. Hence, it is praised with the saying, “Three jujubes a day keep you forever young; five grains plus fresh jujubes outdo even divine herbs.” It is hailed as the “living vitamin pill” and an “extraordinary fruit of the ages.”

　　Originally from the north, the winter jujube was introduced to the region in 1994 by Wang Xuemin, who brought it from Zhanhua, Shandong. After more than ten years of dedicated research, he pioneered three key techniques: medication formulation, girdling, and wax sealing. These innovations solved the major technical challenges of fruit setting, fruit retention, and grafting for winter jujubes in the southwestern region, successfully breaking the notion that winter jujubes could only be grown in the north. Under Wang Xuemin’s leadership, the Renshou County Fresh Jujube Association was established in 2003. Over the years, 29 branches have been set up across the southwest, with 38,000 members, and the “Huaren Winter Jujube” trademark has been registered. The association not only sells fresh jujubes but has also collaborated with Sichuan University to develop Huaren Winter Jujube wine, and partnered with food companies to produce Huaren preserved jujube and other related products, thereby extending the industrial chain and increasing the added value of winter jujubes.