Lixian Rhubarb

Lixian Rhubarb

Lixian Rhubarb is a protected geographical indication product.

　　Lixian Rhubarb, an excellent variety of traditional Chinese medicinal herbs, is a specialty of Lixian County in Gansu Province. It is also known as “Quanshui Rhubarb” or “Quan Huang” because it is mainly produced in Quanshui Township. Belonging to the Rheum palmatum species, Lixian Rhubarb has a production history dating back to the Han Dynasty. The rhubarb features large block size, firm texture, fragrant aroma, superior pharmacological properties, and high quality, with active ingredient content ranking first in China. In 2005, Lixian Rhubarb obtained national certification for geographical origin protection and geographical indication marking.

　　　Lixian Rhubarb has a long cultivation history, with the earliest historical records found in the Han Dynasty’s “Shennong Bencao Jing” (The Classic of Herbal Medicine), where Lixian Rhubarb was already widely renowned. Traditional Chinese medicine literature such as “Discussions on Varieties of Chinese Medicinal Materials” (Volume 2) states: “Quanshui Rhubarb is produced in the Quanshui area of Lixian County, with the highest yield and best quality.” Historical research indicates that rhubarb cultivation in the Quanshui area has a history of over a thousand years. The “Lixian County Annals of the Qianlong Era” record: “252 years ago, the border area between Quanshui and Liangkang (formerly Nanyang) in Dangchang was abundant in rhubarb.” The “Compendium of Materia Medica” identifies the origin of rhubarb as the Quanshui area of Lixian County. In the Middle Ages, Europeans regarded rhubarb as a panacea. At that time, Quanshui Rhubarb was transported via Minxian, Dangchang, and Hadapu to neighboring provinces and even to the port of Tianjin, facilitating Central Asian trade. In June 1403 alone, 100–300 camels carried rhubarb to Samarkand in Central Asia. With the rise of the tea and rhubarb trade in the 18th century, rhubarb from the mountainous regions of Gansu and Qinghai was shipped to West Asia, Europe, and Spain. In the 1920s, herbal medicine merchants from over ten provinces—including Shaanxi, Sichuan, Henan, Hebei, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Hubei, Zhejiang, and Shanxi—set up dozens of storage facilities in Quanshui Township specifically for rhubarb trading and export, forming a rhubarb market centered around Quanshui. This long history of rhubarb production not only laid a solid foundation for the development of Lixian’s rhubarb industry but also created the internationally renowned brand “Quanshui Rhubarb.”

　　　　Lixian County, characterized by its mountainous terrain and mild climate, is a natural treasure trove of medicinal herbs, often referred to as the “Millennial Medicine Land of Southern Gansu.” It is home to 152 families and 629 species of medicinal plants, among which the rhubarb produced in the Quanshui area is the most famous. Commonly known as “Quanshui Rhubarb,” or simply “Quan Huang,” it is internationally recognized as “China’s Quan Huang.” The term “Quan Huang” has been officially included in the national “Dictionary of Chinese Herbal Medicine” and is widely acknowledged as the authentic variety of Chinese rhubarb. The Quanshui region has become conventionally recognized as the “place of origin” for Chinese rhubarb. Suitable rhubarb-growing areas account for 51% of Lixian County’s total land area, spread across 18 townships. The main producing areas include eight townships: Shajin, Baiguan, Baihe, Quanshui, Qiaotou, Caoping, Shangping, and Taoping; secondary producing areas comprise five townships: Tanping, Leiba, Wangba, Xiaoliang, and Sanyu; and suitable areas cover four townships: Gucheng, Yacheng, Qiushan, and Luoba. Additionally, the townships of Nanyang, Hanyuan, Zhuyuan, and Hoti in Dangchang County also produce rhubarb. In 2007, Lixian County cultivated rhubarb on over 25,000 mu, with an annual output of approximately 5,000 tons. Lixian Rhubarb exports accounted for 70% of the province’s total rhubarb exports and 56% of the national total. In 2008, the county’s total rhubarb cultivation reached 41,000 mu, with 21,000 mu harvested annually, yielding 5.25 million kilograms and generating an output value of 44.625 million yuan. In 2010, the rhubarb planting area in Longnan reached 12,000 mu, with an annual output of about 1.5 million kilograms.

　　Market Sales

　　　　Before 2007, Lixian’s “Quan Huang” had an annual output of over 5,000 tons, with the Lixian Pharmaceutical Company alone purchasing more than 2,000 tons annually, and there were no significant stockpiles for many years. “Quan Huang” ranks at the top among Chinese rhubarb varieties, favored by domestic and international buyers, and enjoys strong competitiveness in the global market. Since 1965, it has been exported through Shanghai Medical Import & Export Corporation and Gansu Medical Import & Export Corporation, reaching markets in Italy, the Netherlands, Canada, Japan, and Southeast Asia. Domestically, it is primarily sold to pharmaceutical factories in eight provinces and cities, including Beijing, Tianjin, Henan, Shaanxi, Hubei, Anhui, Shanghai, and Guangzhou.

　　　The geographical indication protection area for Lixian Rhubarb is defined according to the scope proposed in the document “Letter on Defining the Geographical Indication Protection Area of Lixian Rhubarb” (Long Shu Han [2004] No. 47) issued by the Administrative Office of Longnan Region, Gansu Province. This area includes 36 townships in Lixian County: Shangping, Taoping, Shajin, Baiguan, Baihe, Quanshui, Qiaotou, Caoping, Tanping, Leiba, Wangba, Xiaoliang, Sanyu, Zhongba, Gucheng, Yacheng, Qiushan, Luoba, Yongping, Mahe, Honghe, Yanguan, Qishan, Yongxing, Kuanchuan, Minzu, Qiaochuan, Caoba, Yanhe, Chengguan, Shiqiao, Yangpo, Jiangkou, Longlin, and Taitang; 13 townships in Dangchang County: Xinghua, Hoti, Nanyang, Zhuyuan, Hanyuan, Huama, Guanting, Qinyu, Shizi, Xinzhai, Ganjiangtou, Linjiang, and Chela; and 3 townships in Wudu County: —, Chiba, and Jinchang. In total, this covers the administrative regions of 52 townships.