Guoluo Jordan Almond

Guoluo Jordan Almond

Guoluo Jordan Almond is an agricultural geographical indication product.

　　Guoluo Jordan Almond is a specialty of the six counties in Guoluo Prefecture, Qinghai Province — Maqen, Maduo, Gadê, Darlag, Banma, and Jigzhi. It is characterized by its round and plump body, full grains, bright red color, and high yield. Guoluo Jordan Almond is a nationally protected geographical indication agricultural product.

　　The magical, beautiful, and fertile Guoluo Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture features breathtaking and unique landscapes, including steep snow-capped mountains that pierce the clouds, vast primeval forests, meandering streams at their source, mirror-like lakes and ponds, and golden grasslands stretching as far as the eye can see. Known as the “Kingdom of Plants,” Guoluo has a long history. Human habitation dates back to ancient times in the river valleys at the source of the Yellow River. In antiquity, it was a grazing land of the Qiang people; during the Northern and Southern Dynasties, it became the central pastoral area of the Tangut people. In the Tang and Song dynasties, it was under the rule of the Tubo Kingdom. During the Yuan Dynasty, it was governed by the “Commissioner’s Office of Pacification Superintendency of the Tribes in Tibet and Other Areas.” In the Ming Dynasty, it came under the jurisdiction of the “Do-Kham Pacification Commission,” and in the late Ming and early Qing periods, the northern grasslands of Guoluo along the Yellow River were inhabited by the Mongolian Hoshut tribe of Qinghai, placing Guoluo under the authority of the Qinghai Minister. After 1721, present-day Banma, Jigzhi, and Darlag were administered under the Songpan Zhangla Camp of Sichuan’s Chengmian Longmao Circuit. Due to Guoluo’s remote location and isolated environment, successive feudal dynasties never truly established direct political control here, and it remained largely outside the influence of major political powers. Small and large tribes formed the most basic social organizations, operating independently without any unified leadership. Until the eve of liberation in 1952, the region was still in a state of feudal tribal division. The most fundamental means of production and livelihood were nomadic herding, hunting, and gathering. Production methods were primitive and backward, and people lived in extreme poverty. Over the long course of hunting and gathering, some wild medicinal plants were collected and stored in exchange for basic necessities or simple medical supplies. Historical records indicate that in the religious life of the grasslands, Jordan Almond was not only used for medicinal purposes but also consumed as food. For thousands of years, tribal leaders in the Guoluo grasslands fought against one another to expand grazing lands, and the herders lived in dire poverty. Impoverished herders collected Jordan Almond as daily food or to trade for small amounts of cloth, tea, tsampa, and other daily necessities. To this day, some herders in the Guoluo region still consume Jordan Almond or use it to entertain guests. There are many legends and folktales about Jordan Almond, one of which goes as follows: “...Today I pray for your support in my song. This is the domain of Wangchen Nyin. This song tells the origin of Jordan Almond. Back when Nyatri Tsenpo was born in the Kingdom of Ling, evil spirits such as Juwaranze harbored malicious intentions. The celestial Nyatri Tsenpo fought valiantly against all kinds of demons. He unearthed the treasure of Jordan Almond in the land of Mavi. The sunny slopes produce white Jordan Almond, while the shady ones grow red. Large Jordan Almonds can be as big as a horse’s head, and small ones as big as a sheep’s head. Nyatri Tsenpo offered Jordan Almond meals to his wife, Zhuoma. Accidentally, Zhuoma cut into the Jordan Almond with her knife and ate it. Nyatri Tsenpo mocked Zhuoma with a song. Overcome with shame, Zhuoma listened to the song. Nyatri Tsenpo’s tune tamed Zhuoma’s pride, forging a lifelong bond between them. The plant Jordan Almond is brightly colored, sweet to the taste, rich in nutrients, beautifying and anti-aging, improving vision and moistening the lungs, beneficial for all ailments. With such a delicious food as Jordan Almond, why yearn for meat? Do not trample upon minerals and plants — ecological balance is the law. These are the words of the War God Weima, the instructions of King Gesar. Grasp their meaning deeply... It shows the status of Jordan Almond in the lives of herders. The Guoluo Maqen Labrang Monastery’s Kangyur clearly records: Jordan Almond (known in Tibetan as ‘Zholao Shazeng’) was transported by local herders and merchants to Chiling–Dange’er region (today’s Huangyuan area in Qinghai Province) to be exchanged for tea, cloth, salt, barley, and other daily necessities. By the mid-Qing Dynasty, the demand for Jordan Almond further increased, and it became a gift exchanged among high-ranking officials, monasteries, and eminent monks. To this day, some monasteries in the Guoluo region still prepare Eight-Treasure Porridge (known in Tibetan as ‘Zeshe’) made from Jordan Almond to entertain distinguished guests during major Buddhist events. Today, a variety of exquisitely crafted Jordan Almond health foods can be enjoyed in herders’ homes, shops, and wedding banquets. Guoluo Jordan Almond mainly grows in meadows, hillsides, moist grasslands, river floodplains, ditch edges, pasture paths, field ridges, and around pens. It is widely distributed, large in size, high in quality, diverse in form, and yields bountiful harvests. With a coverage of about 30 million mu, reserves of about 200,000 tons, an annual harvest of about 1,000 tons, a market trading volume of about 300 tons, and an annual sales income of about 80 million yuan, the market prospects are promising. The people of Guoluo have a long history of consuming Jordan Almond. Due to its sweet, delicious flavor and health benefits, it is widely loved by the plateau people and hailed as the “Ginseng Fruit” or “Longevity Fruit.” Rich in multiple nutrients, it is sweet and warm in nature. Regular consumption in large quantities does not cause internal heat. It helps promote saliva and quench thirst, strengthens the spleen and stomach, astringes to stop bleeding, relieves cough and removes phlegm, benefits qi and enriches blood. Its tender leaves can also be used as animal feed and spring vegetables. It serves both as food to relieve hunger and as medicine to treat and strengthen the body, with potential for development in food and pharmaceutical products. It is highly adaptable and holds significant ecological value in preventing soil erosion and restoring degraded grassland vegetation.

　　Jordan Almond is also known as Ginseng Fruit. At the mention of Ginseng Fruit, people immediately think of the story in the novel “Journey to the West” where Sun Wukong steals and eats the Ginseng Fruit. In reality, there is indeed a real-life Ginseng Fruit, though not the kind that grants eternal youth. It is a plant of the genus Potentilla in the Rosaceae family. A perennial herb, the entire plant lies flat on the ground, forming a coarse network. It sprouts in spring and grows numerous purplish-red stems in summer, sprawling across the ground in all directions with roots forming at the nodes, resembling a spider web. The upper side of its leaves is deep green, while the underside resembles feathers, densely covered with fine white fluff, like goose down — hence its scientific name, Potentilla anserina. The root is slender, swelling into a spindle or spherical shape at the middle or tip. The tuberous roots are harvested in spring and autumn. The stems creep along the ground, producing adventitious roots at the nodes and forming new plants. It has pinnate compound leaves with dense grayish-white hairs on the underside. Flowers are solitary, yellow, and bear achene fruits. The flowering and fruiting period is from May to September.

　　Jordan Almond is a wild plant of the Rosaceae family native to the plateau. It contains vitamins as well as the elements magnesium, zinc, potassium, and calcium. With high medicinal and nutritional value, it aids digestion, strengthens the spleen, promotes saliva and quenches thirst, benefits qi, and enriches blood. Hence, Tibetan medicine refers to it as Zholao Shaseng, often using it as an ingredient in prescriptions. When it flowers during June and July, the whole plant can also be used to constrict and stop bleeding, relieve cough and remove phlegm, and as a tonic. Jordan Almond is rich in starch, protein, fat, inorganic salts, and vitamins. Therefore, regular consumption truly offers the longevity benefits associated with ginseng, earning it the laudatory title “Ginseng Fruit.”

　　Qinghai Jordan Almond produced in Guoluo and Yushu regions is considered top quality, characterized by its round and plump body, full grains, bright red color, and high yield. It is beloved by people of all ethnic groups and international visitors alike, making it an excellent gift for friends and relatives.

　　In 2013, the “Guoluo Jordan Almond” application submitted by the Grassland Supervision Station of Guoluo Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture passed the review of the Agricultural Product Quality and Safety Center of the Ministry of Agriculture and expert evaluation, leading to its implementation as a nationally protected geographical indication agricultural product.

　　Geographical Scope

　　Guoluo Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture is located in the eastern part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, southeastern Qinghai Province, nestled between the Bayan Har Mountains and the Anyemaqen Mountains. It spans longitude 96°54′ to 101°51′ and latitude 32°31′ to 35°37′. It borders Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture to the west, Haixi Mongolian and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture to the northwest and north, Hainan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture and Huangnan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture to the northeast, Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Gansu Province and Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture of Sichuan Province to the east, and is closely adjacent to Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Sichuan to the south. It stretches approximately 448 kilometers from east to west and 334 kilometers from north to south, covering a land area of 80,781 square kilometers (equivalent to 121.1715 million mu), accounting for 11.22% of the province’s total area. Of this, usable grassland area covers 88.6016 million mu, or 73.12% of the total land area. Guoluo Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture has an average elevation of over 4,200 meters, with the highest point being the main peak of the Anyemaqen Snow Mountain, Majian Gangri, at 6,282 meters. It is one of the province’s major livestock production bases. The prefecture administers six counties: Maqen, Maduo, Gadê, Darlag, Banma, and Jigzhi. The grasslands and riverbanks at elevations between 3,200 and 4,500 meters across these counties all fall within the growing range of Guoluo Jordan Almond. As a naturally occurring, unique edible variety within Guoluo Prefecture, Guoluo Jordan Almond is found throughout all six counties, covering an area of over 30 million mu (approximately 2 million hectares), with reserves of about 200,000 tons, an annual harvest (annual production scale) of about 1,000 tons, a market trading volume (annual sales volume) of about 300 tons, and an annual sales income of 80 million yuan. The collection of Jordan Almond by herders is a traditional sideline activity, usually carried out while grazing or incidentally during the plowing of fodder grasslands. Most collection sites are chosen around riverbanks, field ridges, pasture paths, and pens, posing no significant harm to the grassland ecological environment.