Guangnan Babao Rice

Guangnan Babao Rice

Guangnan Babao Rice is a protected geographical indication product.

Guangnan Babao Rice is an agricultural geographical indication product.

　　Babao Rice is named after its place of origin, Babao, and was a tribute product during the Qing Dynasty. In 1981, it was listed as a premium rice variety by the state. With its snow-white to slightly bluish color, large grains, soft texture, fragrant aroma, pleasant taste, and higher content of starch and protein compared to ordinary rice, it enjoys a high reputation nationwide. (Guangnan County)

　　Geographical Scope

　　Guangnan County is located in the southeastern part of Yunnan Province and the northeastern part of the Wenshan Zhuang and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, at the junction of Yunnan, Guangxi, and Guizhou provinces. The county administers five townships: Liancheng, Babao, Jiumo, Nasha, and Zhetu. Its geographic coordinates are between 104°30′–105°36′ east longitude and 23°29′–24°28′ north latitude, with an average elevation of around 1,250 meters. It borders Funing County to the east, faces Malipo and Xichou counties across the river to the south, neighbors Yanshan and Qiubei counties to the west, and connects to Xilin County of Guangxi Province to the north. The village of Muchang in Heizhiguo Township within the county is only 13.5 kilometers in a straight line from the border of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. The county spans 105 kilometers from east to west and 103 kilometers from north to south.

　　Natural Ecological Environment and Humanistic-Historical Factors

　　(1) Soil and Topography: The terrain of the county is predominantly mountainous, sloping in a step-like pattern from southwest to northeast. Extensively distributed Permian limestone has led to highly developed karst landforms, featuring numerous tower-shaped and conical peak forests, karst hills, peak-forest valleys, and karst depressions, covering 41.7% of the area. The northern part is mainly composed of clastic rocks with prevalent erosional landforms, accounting for 40.3% of the total area; the southern part is dominated by carbonate rocks, covering 54%. Paddy soils are divided into four subcategories, eight soil genera, and twenty-five soil species. The paddy field area is 325,000 mu, accounting for 34.52% of the total arable land in the county. The organic matter content in the county's paddy soil is 3.3136%, total nitrogen 0.1789%, total phosphorus 0.1257%, total potassium 1.2578%, available phosphorus 0.548 ppm, available potassium 0.572 ppm, alkali-hydrolyzable nitrogen 10.4881 ppm, with soil pH ranging from 5.6 to 7.6, neutral to slightly alkaline—particularly suitable for cultivating Guangnan Babao Rice.

　　(2) Hydrology: The county’s 16 rivers, large and small, belong to either the Pearl River or Red River systems. These two major water systems converge numerous tributaries within the county, flowing generally from northwest to southeast. Major rivers in the Pearl River basin include the Xiyang River, Tuoniang River, and Qingshui River; the main stream in the Red River basin is the Nanli River. The county’s total surface and groundwater resources amount to 3.84 billion cubic meters, of which groundwater runoff is 1.09 billion cubic meters and surface water 2.75 billion cubic meters.

　　(3) Climate: The Babao Rice cultivation area features a mid-subtropical plateau monsoon climate, with an average annual temperature of 16.7°C. The hottest month averages 22.6°C (most often in July), and the coldest month averages 8.4°C (mostly in January). In areas below 1,000 meters in elevation, the extreme maximum temperature reaches 37.1°C, and the extreme minimum -5.1°C. For elevations between 1,000–1,500 meters, the extreme maximum is 36.2°C, and the extreme minimum -5.5°C. Above 1,500 meters, the extreme maximum is 33.3°C, and the extreme minimum -6.9°C. Summers are not excessively hot, and winters are not severely cold, with a frost-free period of 305 days. Average annual rainfall is 1,056.5 mm, average annual evaporation is 1,665.3 mm, and average annual relative humidity ranges from 70% to 80%, with an average dryness index of 0.86. The rainy season lasts from May to October, and the dry season from November to April, with distinct wet and dry periods and concurrent rain and heat. The annual sunshine duration is 1,857.7 hours. The county’s highest elevation is 2,035 meters, and the lowest is 420 meters, providing highly favorable conditions for the growth and development of Guangnan Babao Rice.

　　(4) Humanistic-Historical Background:

　　Historical records and research confirm that as early as the Ming and Qing dynasties, Babao Rice was listed as “tribute rice,” honored as “imperial grain” with “a tribute of one hundred dan per year” for use in the imperial court and by nobility. Long-renowned Babao Rice is famed for its snow-white color, jade-green tint in newly harvested grains, plump kernels, shorter steaming time than regular rice, soft yet unbroken grains even when cooled, bright and clean appearance, fragrant taste, and sweet aftertaste, earning worldwide renown as “tribute rice.” In 1959, during the 10th anniversary celebration of the founding of the People’s Republic, thousands of kilograms of Babao Rice were specially transported to Beijing to serve foreign guests. In 1981, after learning about the legendary origins and premium quality of Babao Rice from newspaper reports, the Japan-China Friendship Association tasted it by mail and praised it as “unparalleled in the world.” Testing by the Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences’ Detection Center confirmed that its main indicators met national premium rice standards, and in 1981 it was listed as one of the country’s premium rice varieties. It has won national and provincial gold awards. In 1985 and 1989, when the General Secretary visited Wenshan, he personally tasted Babao Rice and spoke highly of it. In November 1985, the magazine *Mystery* published an article calling it “a unique aromatic rice.” In November 2000, during the “Panfang Cup World Chinese Fiction Excellence Awards Ceremony and Guangnan County Writers’ Symposium” hosted by the World Chinese Literature Association under the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, Babao Rice was served to Chinese writers from over ten countries and regions, all of whom were highly impressed. Today, many consumers regard it as an ideal gift for esteemed guests, praising it as “immaculately white, premium in quality, the flower among grains.” In 2001, it was awarded the title of “Hometown of Chinese Babao Rice” by the Organizing Committee of the China Specialties Hometown Promotion and Publicity Campaign under the Ministry of Agriculture.

　　They ate eight-treasure rice at home and were highly impressed. Nowadays, many consumers give it as a premium gift to honored guests, praising it as “pure white and flawless, high-quality yet affordable, the flower among rice varieties.” In 2001, it was awarded the title of “Hometown of China’s Eight-Treasure Rice” by the Organizing Committee of the China Specialties Hometown Promotion and Publicity Campaign under the Ministry of Agriculture.