Qianyang Peach Blossom Rice

Qianyang Peach Blossom Rice

　　Qianyang Peach Blossom Rice is a specialty of Qianyang County, Baoji City, Shaanxi Province. The "Peach Blossom Rice" of Qianyang gets its name from its color—its grains are peach-red, and when steamed, the rice puffs up at both ends while staying firm in the middle, resembling blooming peach blossoms.

　　The variety of "Peach Blossom Rice" planted in Qianyang County was selected as imperial tribute rice during the Ming and Qing dynasties. By modern times, its cultivation area had gradually declined, and it eventually disappeared by the end of the last century. Since 2008, Qianyang County has initiated the protection and development of Peach Blossom Rice. It successively introduced seeds from Beijing and collaborated with experts from the provincial rice research institute. After repeated trials, this rare species, which had vanished for a decade, was successfully revived, bringing "Peach Blossom Rice" back to its "hometown" to shine once again. According to tests conducted by the Ministry of Agriculture’s Rice Testing Center, this rice contains 17 types of essential nutrients for the human body, including vitamins, amino acids, and trace elements. It offers a unique taste and flavor, and is believed to have special medicinal and health benefits such as beautifying the skin, invigorating the spleen, strengthening the stomach, and replenishing vitality. The county subsequently registered the “Peach Blossom Rice” trademark, which won the “Houji Award” at the 1st Yangling Agricultural High-Tech Fair, becoming yet another green brand from Qianyang that caused a sensation in domestic and international markets.

　　It is understood that Qianyang “Peach Blossom Rice” gets its name from its color—its grains are peach-red, and when steamed, the rice puffs up at both ends while staying firm in the middle, resembling blooming peach blossoms. Peach Blossom Rice was widely cultivated in Qianyang during the 1950s and 1960s, but its planting gradually decreased due to various reasons until it eventually became extinct.

　　Historical records show that the history of rice cultivation in Qianyang County dates back to the Han Dynasty. During the Han era, Qianyang was called Yumi County, named for its suitability for growing rice. In the Taihe period of the Tang Dynasty, it was renamed Qianyang because it lies to the south of the Qian River—a region close to water and ideal for rice cultivation. The Tang Dynasty poet Wei Zhuang wrote in his poem “Inscription on Ma’s Running Spring in Qianyang”: “In the western garden, red tassels ripen in the night rain; in the southern fields, white rice thrives in the breeze.”