Yibin Yin Hong Plum

Yibin Yin Hong Plum

Yibin Yin Hong Plum is an agricultural product with geographical indication status.

　　Yibin County has a long history of plum cultivation, abundant plum resources, and widespread plum planting across the region. The "Yibin County Annals"〈Compendium of Products〉(annotated edition of the Jiaqing version of the Qing Dynasty) contains records of plum cultivation. In Yibin County, there is a moving legend about the origins of the plum, in which Nezha bleeds to detoxify and save humanity. To express their gratitude for Nezha’s virtue, the local people named the life-saving blood-stained wild fruit "plum," taking the meaning that Nezha was the third son of the Heavenly King Li. They also built a Nezha Temple on Cuiping Mountain in Yibin, where generations have worshipped him. Although plum cultivation was widespread in Yibin County, due to the diversity and mixed varieties, standardized and large-scale production was not achieved, resulting in generally poor plum quality. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, continuous improvement and introduction of new plum varieties, along with enhanced cultivation techniques, led to a certain level of improvement in plum fruit quality. The rose-red large plum submitted by Yibin County was awarded the title of High-Quality Fruit in the Yibin Region. To better develop the region’s distinctive and advantageous industries, the Yibin County government actively organized expert teams to screen superior plants from local plum resources. After years of experimentation and selection, a new, high-quality plum variety was developed. This new variety features plums that are half deep purplish-red and half yellowish-green. At the county variety naming meeting, experts named it “Yin Hong Plum” (literally “Crimson-Yellow Plum”). This variety was officially approved during the second session of the seventh meeting of the Sichuan Provincial Variety Approval Committee in February 2011. Since its successful breeding, Yibin Yin Hong Plum has been particularly well-suited to the unique soil and climate conditions of Yibin County. With high yields and supported by unique cultivation techniques, the resulting plums are crisp, sweet, tender, fragrant, refreshing, and highly resistant to storage, making them very popular among consumers. The cultivation area has continuously expanded from Xijie Town (now the core cultivation area of Yibin Yin Hong Plum) to other suitable regions in Yibin County. In 2006, the Yibin County government formally included the development of Yibin Yin Hong Plum as a specialty fruit industry in the 11th Five-Year Plan, leading to significant growth. Currently, Yibin Yin Hong Plum is cultivated in suitable areas across 17 towns in the county, covering 2,500 hectares, with a yield reaching 38,000 tons. The product sells well in Sichuan, Chongqing, Yunnan, and other regions. The wholesale price in orchards has risen from 2 yuan per kilogram in 2000 to 6–8 yuan per kilogram in 2011. It is projected that after the 12th Five-Year Plan, the planting area of Yibin Yin Hong Plum will expand to 4,000 hectares, with a yield of 60,000 tons, and annual per capita income of fruit farmers will reach 8,000 yuan. Yibin Yin Hong Plum has become one of the pillar industries for farmers in Yibin County to achieve prosperity through specialty agriculture.

　　Region: Sichuan

　　Applicant: Yibin County Leading Yin Hong Plum Professional Cooperative

　　Region: 2013

　　Geographic Scope

　　The geographical indication protection area for Yibin Yin Hong Plum, an agricultural product, includes 17 towns in Yibin County along the lower reaches of the Min River and Jinsha River, namely: Xijie Town, Gaochang Town, Baxi Town, Shuanglong Town, Fengyi Township, Lichang Town, Juexi Town, Anbian Town, Pu’an Township, Hengjiang Town, Fulong Town, Gubai Township, Shuangyi Township, Ninan Township, Nixi Town, Longchi Township, and Shangzhou Town, covering 300 villages. It borders Cuiping District of Yibin City to the east, Yunnan to the south, and Leshan City and Pingshan County to the west. The geographical coordinates are longitude 104°1′–104°36′ and latitude 28°18′–29°6′. The protected area spans 4,000 hectares, with a yield of 60,000 tons.

　　Product Quality Characteristics

　　(1) External Sensory Qualities: Yibin Yin Hong Plum fruits are medium to large and nearly round. The fruit apex is flat, with a distinct suture line, and the two halves are relatively symmetrical. The bottom of the fruit is greenish-yellow with patches of crimson color and a generous bloom. The flesh is greenish-yellow, fine-textured, crisp, and moderately juicy. The stone is small and free-stone. The flavor is sweet and rich, indicating top quality. (2) Internal Quality Indicators: Yibin Yin Hong Plum has an edible rate of ≥95% and soluble solids content of ≥10%. (3) Safety Requirements: Compliant with the quality standards of "Stone Fruits" NY5112-2005.