Jia County Dates

Jia County Dates

Jia County dates are a product with geographical indication.

　　Jia County dates are a specialty of Jia County in Yulin City, Shaanxi Province. Renowned for their large size, tender flesh, and rich nutrition, Jia County dates are hailed as “woody grain” and “sturdy crop,” while fresh dates are known as “living vitamin pills.” In May 2001, Jia County was awarded the title of “China’s Famous Date Township” by the State Forestry Administration.

　　Dates are highly adaptable to ecological and climatic conditions. They thrive in warm, semi-humid environments with ample sunlight and significant diurnal temperature variations. Especially during the full-bloom period (mid-to-late June), higher temperatures are required, while the fruit-setting period (mid-August to September) demands good light conditions and large diurnal temperature differences, which aid sugar accumulation. Jia County is located at the northernmost edge of Shaanxi Province along the Yellow River and features a semi-arid continental monsoon climate with distinct seasons, large diurnal temperature ranges, abundant sunlight, and relatively low precipitation. These climatic factors are ideal for growing high-quality dates.

　　Jia County is the birthplace of Chinese dates and boasts a long history of date cultivation. Historical records indicate that date trees have been planted in Jia County since the Northern Wei Dynasty, with a history spanning over 1,500 years. The Nihegou Village in Jia County is home to a thousand-year-old “Date King Tree,” which, according to modern scientific assessment, is over 1,300 years old and still bears abundant fruit. Currently, the county has 600,000 mu of date plantations, yielding nearly 150 million kilograms of dates annually under normal conditions, with an output value of 300 million yuan. In terms of plantation area, yield, and output value, Jia County ranks first in the province, earning it the title “Shaanxi’s No. 1 Date County.” Dates are a pillar industry of Jia County’s economy, with per capita date income for farmers exceeding 1,200 yuan, making it the largest source of income for local farmers.

　　In recent years, the Jia County Party Committee and County Government have focused on organic date cultivation as a breakthrough for expanding and strengthening the date industry. In 2005, Jia County became the first in China to obtain national organic date certification, followed by Japanese JAS organic certification in 2006, thus securing access to international markets and becoming China’s premier organic date county. The county has set a goal to reach 400,000 mu of organic date plantations by the end of the 11th Five-Year Plan, aiming to become the largest organic date-growing region in the country. To date, 30,000 mu of organic dates have been planted, yielding 20 million kilograms annually. In December 2006, the National Standardization Management Committee awarded Jia County the title of National Standardized Date Production Base, and in 2009, the county received a National Agricultural Product Geographical Indication Registration Certificate issued by the Ministry of Agriculture.

　　Geographic Scope

　　Jia County is located in the northeast of Shaanxi Province, southeast of Yulin City, on the western bank of the middle section of the Yellow River’s canyon. It lies between 110°01′–110°45′ east longitude and 37°41′47″–37°23′34″ north latitude, with elevations ranging from 675 to 1,339.5 meters. The terrain is higher in the northwest and lower in the southeast. Date plantations in Jia County are mainly concentrated along the Yellow River and Touxie River, with relatively dense distribution in 11 townships: Shanggaizhai, Liuguojù, Zhujia, Tongzhen, Jialuzhen, Yukou, Mutouyu, Dianzhen, Kengzhen, Xiezhen, and Kangjia Port. The total production area spans 35,426 hectares, with an annual output of 100,000 tons.

　　Natural Ecological Environment and Humanistic-Historical Factors

　　(1) Soil and Topography: The predominant soil type is loessial soil, which is deep. Sandy soil is found in the northern hilly and sandy regions, while red clay, hard yellow soil, and weathered stony soil occur in the rocky mountainous areas along the eastern Yellow River. The soil contains 0.2%–0.6% organic matter, 0.039% nitrogen, 34.73 ppm alkaline-hydrolyzable nitrogen, 3.77 ppm available nitrogen, 98.9 ppm available potassium, and a pH range of 8.0–8.5. Trace elements include iron (2.67 ppm), boron (0.22 ppm), zinc (0.34 ppm), manganese (2.5 ppm), and copper (0.48 ppm).

　　(2) Hydrology: Jia County dates rely primarily on natural precipitation. The county’s average annual rainfall is 386.6 mm, with significant interannual variation and uneven seasonal distribution, concentrated mainly in July, August, and September. Major rivers in the region include the Yellow River, Hui River, Wulong River, Jialu River, and Zaoping River. The Yellow River flows through 73 km of the county, and nearly 10,000 mu of date orchards are irrigated using Yellow River water.

　　(3) Climate: Jia County features a typical continental semi-arid monsoon climate. Winters are long and cold,

　　summers are short with large diurnal temperature variations. The area enjoys long hours of sunshine and abundant light and heat resources. The multi-year average total radiation is 142 kcal/cm²•year, with an average annual sunshine duration of 2,710.7 hours. Sunshine hours with temperatures above zero total 2,046.8 hours annually (74% of the total), while those with temperatures at or above 10°C amount to 1,607.5 hours (58% of the total). The annual average temperature is 10.02°C, with notable daily temperature fluctuations.

　　(4) Humanistic-Historical Factors: Scholars widely agree that Chinese jujubes originated in the middle and upper reaches of the Yellow River. Jia County is one of the original centers of jujube cultivation. The ancient jujube tree clusters preserved in Nihegou Village demonstrate that jujubes have been extensively cultivated in the region for a thousand years.

　　Historical records indicate that in the ninth year of the Taihe era (485 AD) during the Northern Wei Dynasty, Emperor Xiaowen decreed that every adult male be allocated 20 mu of land, with an additional 50 mulberry trees, five jujube trees, and three elm trees to be planted within three years. Failure to comply would result in forfeiture of the allocated land. Today, Nihegou Village preserves 36 mu of contiguous ancient jujube tree clusters, comprising over 1,100 trees of various ages. Among them, three trees have trunks with circumferences exceeding 3 meters (the largest being 3.41 meters), 30 trees exceed 2 meters, and 106 trees exceed 1.5 meters. These represent the largest and oldest contiguous ancient jujube clusters in China, often referred to by scholars as “living fossils” or “kings of jujube trees,” further testifying to the long history of date cultivation in the region.

　　From the Qing Dynasty to the early Republic of China, Jia County dates were already widely renowned. However, during the 1930s and 1940s, due to natural disasters and wartime turmoil, date cultivation and production stagnated or declined. With the deepening of reform and opening-up and the development of a market economy, the date industry gradually became a pillar sector for Jia County. By 1995, the county’s date orchard area reached 266,800 mu, producing 24.1 million kilograms of dates annually with an output value of 60 million yuan. In August 2001, it was designated “China’s Date Township” by the State Forestry Administration. By 2006, the county’s date plantation area had grown to 531,400 mu, ranking first in Shaanxi Province and establishing it as a nationally recognized date-producing hub. That year, date production reached 100 million kilograms for the first time, with total output value exceeding 200 million yuan, solidifying its reputation as a true “China’s Date Township.”

　　Production Technical Requirements

　　(1) Site Selection: Orchards should be located in areas with convenient transportation, gentle terrain, deep soil layers, loose soil, and sunny, wind-sheltered conditions. Suitable soil types include sandy, loamy, clayey, and sandy-loam soils. The groundwater level should not exceed 2 m, soil pH should range between 6.2–7.8, and salt content should not exceed 0.3%. The production environment must comply with the requirements of the NY5013-2006 standard for pollution-free fruit and nut production sites.

　　(2) Variety Selection: Varieties with strong disease resistance, high quality, and good marketability—such as Youzao, Muzao (wood date), Cuizao, and Fangmuzao (square wood date)—should be chosen.

　　(3) Production Process Management: Date production is a labor-intensive process conducted entirely manually, relying primarily on organic fertilizer, with no pesticide use and minimal chemical fertilizer application.

　　(4) Product Harvesting and Post-Harvest Handling: Date harvesting should be based on maturity, typically occurring before mid-October (after Hanlu). A cloth-collecting and manual-shaking method is used to minimize damage and ensure hygiene. Mechanical and manual grading methods are promoted to strictly separate grades one, two, three, and substandard dates, in accordance with the national GB5835-86 standard. Grading is also a key prerequisite for drying. Drying can be natural or artificial. In Jia County, natural drying is predominant—sun drying is suitable for sweeter, darker varieties (e.g., Youzao), while shade drying is used for lighter, less sweet varieties (e.g., mountain-grown Muzao).

　　(5) Production Records: The entire production process of Jia County dates requires the establishment of field production records, comprehensively documenting and properly preserving all information for future reference.

　　Typical Quality Characteristics and Product Safety Standards

　　(1) External Sensory Features: Jia County dates are medium to large, cylindrical in shape, typically 3.7 cm in length and 2.4 cm in diameter. The skin is thick, dark red, with inconspicuous lenticels, a smooth surface, slightly indented apex, and deep stalk cavity. The flesh is white, thick, with low juice content, sweet taste, rich oiliness, and is ideal for drying.

　　(2) Internal Quality Indicators: Jia County dates are unique in flavor, rich in nutrients, and versatile in use. Fresh dates contain 26% soluble solids, while dried dates have 74.93% sugar content, 1.67% acidity, and approximately 400 mg of Vitamin C per 100 g of flesh.

　　Packaging and Labeling Standards

　　Dates are mechanically or manually graded into one to three levels, with substandard and foreign materials removed. Packaging includes boxes and cartons made of high-strength paper or foam boxes constructed from plastic foam. Dual-layer packaging is required: the outer layer must withstand stacking and transport without deformation, while the inner layer must be clean, non-toxic, non-polluting, and moderately breathable. Outer packaging labels must indicate the product name, grade, net weight, origin, packaging date, and other required commercial information. Inner packaging should feature anti-counterfeit labels with origin details (county, village) and the grower’s identification code. Transport vehicles must be dry, cool, clean, hygienic, and in good condition, with strict prohibition against co-loading with toxic, odorous, or otherwise harmful substances.