Daxian Crisp Pear

Daxian Crisp Pear

Daxian Crisp Pear is a product certified with a geographical indication for agricultural products.

　　Daxian Crisp Pear is a specialty of Daxian County, Xinzhou City, Shanxi Province. It is renowned for its crisp flesh, juicy texture, and sweet taste, having claimed top awards in numerous national, provincial, and municipal evaluations, and is often referred to as the “No. 1 Pear on the Loess Plateau.”

　　The Daxian Crisp Pear is highly esteemed throughout Beijing. It is large in size, golden in color, and boasts a crisp texture with a high sugar content, making it one of the finest pears available. This pear variety was developed in 1968 by introducing the Dangshan Pear from Anhui as the parent stock. Through continuous selective breeding by the Xinzhou Regional Fruit Tree Station and the Daxian Sericulture and Fruit Station, a new variety was created.

　　Originally, the Daxian Crisp Pear had one main variety and four strains: Golden-Capped Crisp, White-Skinned Crisp, Green-Skinned Crisp, and Summer Crisp. After being introduced to Daxian, due to the higher altitude, cooler temperatures, and greater diurnal temperature variation of the new growing environment, the quality of the pears improved significantly compared to their place of origin. The fruit retained the desirable traits of the original crisp pear—large size and attractive shape—but with an even more glossy golden skin. The White-Skinned and Green-Skinned strains both turned golden yellow in color; the rusty cap of the Golden-Capped strain gradually disappeared; and the ripening period of the Summer Crisp was delayed, helping to prevent fruit cracking. The resulting pear resembles the Duck Pear in shape, with a brownish-yellow hue, thin skin, thick flesh, crisp texture, pleasant aroma, and thus was named Golden Crisp Pear. With a sugar content as high as 15.5%—more than double that of ordinary fresh pears—it is as sweet as honey dates, hence also called Golden Honey Pear. This type of pear offers unmatched qualities of crispness, sweetness, and fragrance, making it not only delicious when eaten fresh but also uniquely flavorful when processed into dried pear slices or canned products. Research indicates that regular consumption of Golden Crisp Pear can aid digestion, stimulate appetite, and provide notable medicinal benefits. Whether eaten fresh or steamed, it helps moisten the lungs, clear the heart, eliminate phlegm, relieve coughs, reduce sores, and counteract alcohol intoxication. In recent years, studies by scholars have also found that Golden Crisp Pear has effects such as nourishing yin, clearing heat, and lowering blood pressure. It offers certain dietary therapeutic benefits for people with hypertension, heart disease, and hepatitis when consumed regularly.

　　In 1976, Daxian Crisp Pear ranked first at the National Pear Evaluation Conference; in 1989, it won top honors again at the National Fruit Quality Assessment Conference; and in 2002, it received a gold award at the Shanxi Province High-Quality Fruits and Vegetables Exhibition. It has been exported as far as Hong Kong and Macau, where it is praised for its “golden luster and honey-like sweetness,” hailed as the “jewel of national pears.” As a result, Daxian has been designated by the Ministry of Agriculture as a base for crisp pear production. In recent years, Daxian Crisp Pear has obtained national “green certification” and has even entered the Great Hall of the People, becoming a specialty used exclusively for state banquets.