Mao County Plums of A'ba

Mao County Plums of A'ba

Mao County Plums of A'ba are a geographical indication agricultural product.

　　Mao County Plums of A'ba are a famous specialty of Mao County in the Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province. The fruit is medium to large, round, and uniformly shaped, with inconspicuous sutures. It has thick bloom and flesh, firm and crisp texture with minimal fiber, sweet taste, and pleasant aroma. The pit is small, free-stone, and the fruit ripens late.

　　Mao County is nationally renowned as the "Hometown of Deciduous Fruits," with 30,000 mu of Mao County Crisp Plums, Green Crisp Plums, and Crisp Red Plums. It is a national Grade A green food production base, extending its influence to over 50,000 mu in surrounding areas, forming a large-scale and distinctive modern agricultural ecological demonstration park. Mao County's millennium-old plum region and vast plum orchards embody the essence of the four seasons, harmonize heaven, earth, and humanity, gather ecological beauty, and offer leisure delights. In spring, admire the sea of plum blossoms like snow; in golden autumn, enjoy the bountiful red fruits. The sleeves still carry the breeze of Maozhou, while travelers vie to taste the green and red plums. According to the Huayang Guo Zhi (Records of the States South of Mount Hua): "In ancient times, the Shu Mountain tribes developed mulberry, hemp, peach, and plum." This shows that plum cultivation in Mao County has a history of several thousand years. On the third day of the eighth month in 3460 BC, Yalu, the eldest son of the Qiang chieftain Yuesong, took over leadership and led his tribe to divert mountains and rivers, turning swamps into pastures where cattle, sheep, and horses thrived. On the plateaus, they planted Ermie (peach) and Saiyimei (plum), along with grains, leading to abundant harvests. Yalu built a castle by the small basin where the Minshan River flows into the Min River, planting Ermie (peach) and Saiyimei (plum) all around. Since these fruits were valuable in every way, Saiyimei (plum) trees were planted along the paths. To commemorate their great contributions to the plum industry, two old plum orchards over 70 years old in Mao County have been named “Yu Gong Plum Orchard” and “Yalu Plum Orchard.” The Qiang people (anciently known as Erma) regard plums as an offering, using them to pay homage to mountain and sky deities during weddings, funerals, clothing rituals, Za wine ceremonies, and coming-of-age rites, seeking blessings and protection. In the 24th year of the Republic of China, Yang Jia’ge helped the Fourth Front Red Army raise military rations by mobilizing poor locals to pick over a thousand dan of plums for food and medicine. He heroically sacrificed himself in July of the same year. To honor him, locals planted over a hundred plum trees, with more than 30 still alive today—named “Jia’ge Plum Trees,” over 70 years old. In 1935, the Fourth Front Red Army received rations and plums from Mao County locals to stave off hunger, using the pits for medicine. To thank the Qiang people, they planted over fifty plum trees before heading north, with more than ten surviving to this day—named “Red Army Plum Trees,” also over 70 years old. Currently, there are still over 5,000 century-old plum trees in Mao County that grow, bloom, and bear fruit. Their remarkable vitality is astounding, echoing the words in Er Ya: “In fertile soil, the land suits plum and peach trees.” The plums produced here are bright and glossy, smooth-skinned with thick bloom, crisp and tender in texture, rich in fragrance, high in soluble solids, free-stone with an edible rate of over 97%, top-quality, and highly resistant to storage and transport. Highly favored by consumers, they sell for 7–10 RMB/kg and are exported to Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Chongqing, Yunnan, Guizhou, Xi’an, and other regions, generating significant economic benefits and widespread fame.

　　Geographical Scope

　　The protected geographical indication area of Mao County Plums includes three towns—Fengyi, Nanxin, and Diexi—and thirteen townships—Weimen, Goukou, Yazu, Qugu, Wadi, Baixi, Sanlong, Huilong, Heihu, Feihong, Taiping, Songping, and Shidaguan. The geographical coordinates are: 102°56′–104°10′ east longitude and 31°25′–32°16′ north latitude. Mao County is located in northwestern Sichuan, bordering Beichuan, Anxian, and Mianzhu to the east and north, Pengzhou, Wenchuan, and Shifang to the south, Li County and Heishui to the west, and Songpan to the north. It stretches 94.8 km from north to south and 116.5 km from east to west. The protected area spans 2,000 hectares, with an annual yield of 82,500 tons.

　　Product Quality Characteristics

　　(1) Unique Sensory Features: Mao County Plums are uniform in shape, well-formed, displaying the inherent color characteristics of the variety’s skin and flesh at maturity. The fruit surface is bright and glossy, with thick bloom, a crisp and tender texture, rich aroma, free-stone pit, and outstanding quality. They are highly resistant to storage and transport. (2) Unique Internal Quality Indicators: Mao County Plums feature high sugar and low acid content, hardness exceeding 10.4 kg/cm², soluble solids content over 12.5%, titratable acidity below 1.06%, sugar content above 9.8%, and edible rate over 97%. (3) Safety Requirements: The quality of Mao County Plums complies with the standards set forth in the Green Food Temperate Fruit (NY/T 844-2004) regulations.