Xiluodu Prickly Ash

Xiluodu Prickly Ash

Xiluodu Prickly Ash is a product certified with a geographical indication for agricultural products.

　　     Yongshan County has a long history of cultivating Xiluodu Prickly Ash. In 1953, the county's total output reached 54,000 kilograms, in 1979 it was 55,000 kilograms, and in 1988 it reached 145,000 kilograms. In 1990, with the launch of the national “Long-Term Soil and Water Conservation” and “Water and Soil Conservation” projects, along with initiatives such as “Green Poverty Alleviation” and “Work-for-Relief,” the Xiluodu Prickly Ash industry in our county experienced rapid development. The planted area reached 50,000 mu, with about 30,000 mu in production, and the total output exceeded 500,000 kilograms. To fully leverage this traditional and advantageous product, and to make use of the county’s resource and geographic advantages to strengthen the Xiluodu Prickly Ash industry, the county party committee established a Prickly Ash Industry Leadership Group in 2002, setting clear development goals to achieve a planting scale of 100,000 mu and an output value of 100 million yuan by 2010. In 2007, the county party committee and government set up a Prickly Ash Industry Office, breaking away from the “household-based management” model and focusing on “supporting large growers, establishing associations, and guiding smallholders.” They actively promoted an operational model of “company + research + association + specialized cooperatives + farmer-operators,” formed a Prickly Ash Association to serve the industry, strictly implemented the Xiluodu Prickly Ash Production Base Management System, and continuously improved the production and management standards of Xiluodu Prickly Ash. By 2009, the county’s planting area had reached 160,800 mu, with 80,000 mu bearing fruit, producing 4,120 tons, significantly increasing farmers’ income and contributing notably to export earnings.

　　  Located on the banks of the Jinsha River, Yongshan County benefits from a dry-hot valley climate, making it a prime region for growing prickly ash. Yongshan prickly ash is known for its bright color, rich aroma, heavy oil content, and strong numbing flavor, making it a uniquely flavorful condiment.

　　Xiluodu Prickly Ash

　　Geographic Scope

　　Xiluodu Prickly Ash is produced in the Jinsha River basin area within Yongshan County, Zhaotong City. Administratively, it falls under Zhaotong City, between 103°15′–104°01′ east longitude and 27°30′–28°31′ north latitude. It borders Daguan and Yanjin counties to the east, Zhaoyang District to the south, Suijiang County to the north, and faces Leibo and Jinyang counties of Sichuan Province across the Jinsha River to the northwest. The total area covers 2,789 square kilometers, with a east-west span of 46.6 kilometers and a north-south span of 121.2 kilometers. The lowest elevation is 340 meters, and the highest is 3,199.5 meters. The production area for Xiluodu Prickly Ash includes nine townships: Make, Daxing, Huanghua, Lianfeng, Wuj, Xiluodu, Tuanjie, Guixi, and Qingsheng (defined by administrative and natural regional boundaries), with a total production area of 10,666 hectares and an annual output of 30,000 tons.