Nanchangtan Jujubes

Nanchangtan Jujubes

Nanchangtan jujubes are a geographical indication agricultural product.

　　Nanchangtan Jujubes

　　They have anti-allergic effects, protect the liver, enhance muscle strength, and offer sedative, sleep-inducing, and blood pressure-lowering benefits.

　　The local cultivation of jujubes has a long history. During the Qing Dynasty’s Qianlong era, then Zhongwei County Magistrate Huang Enxi wrote in his “Zhongwei Bamboo Branch Lyrics”: “Relatives exchange gifts with heartfelt affection, yearly fruits joyfully ripen in autumn. Yongkang’s wine-soaked dates are sent bottle by bottle, and steamed jujubes have long been famed in their orchards.” In his “Spring Excursion Miscellaneous Verses,” he also wrote: “On a spring ride, I rein in my steed slowly, viewing the mountains all the way to the jujube orchard,” vividly depicting the prosperity of jujube tree cultivation and fruit processing on the Wei-Ning Plain over 200 years ago. According to the “Zhongwei County Annals” from the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, “There are jujubes, pears, peaches, crabapples, autumn pears, apples, mulberries, grapes, apricots, jujube-like fruits, and goji berries. During the Republican era, the main varieties were jujubes, pears, apricots, crabapples, autumn pears, grapes, and goji berries, with large cultivation areas.” “During the Republican period, jujube orchards, goji berry orchards, and crabapple orchards were widespread in areas such as Yongkang, Xuzhuang, Zhaolin, Shatan, Nanchangtan, Caiqiao, and Xindun. Red dates, goji berries, long pears, and fragrant pears were widely renowned.” In October 2008, Nanchangtan Village in Xiangshan Township, Zhongwei, was designated by the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development and the National Cultural Heritage Administration as the first “National Historical and Cultural Village” in Ningxia. In recent years, Zhongwei City has held an annual Pear Blossom Festival every April, where thousands of ancient trees burst into bloom with countless pear flowers, creating a fragrant sea of blossoms that stretches for miles, captivating all who pass by and leaving them lingering in admiration.

　　Geographical Scope

　　The geographical indication protection area for this agricultural product includes one township—Xiangshan Township in Zhongwei City—and eight administrative villages. The protected area lies between 104°17′00″–106°10′00″ east longitude and 36°09′00″–37°43′00″ north latitude. The production area spans 5,500 hectares, with an annual output of 1,600 tons.

　　Product Quality Characteristics

　　1. External Sensory Features: Nanchangtan jujubes are large and oval or nearly round in shape. The fruit shoulders are round and slightly raised, with a medium-deep, wide stalk cavity. The fruit top is flat, the surface is smooth, and it has a glossy appearance. The skin is dark red, with brown, round lenticels. The average fruit weight is 18.5g, with the largest reaching up to 30g. 2. Internal Quality Features: Total sugar content is 71.2–76.8%, total acid content is 0.72–0.77%. 3. Safety Requirements: The production environment strictly adheres to the standards of “Pollution-Free Food—Technical Conditions for the Production Environment of Forestry and Fruit Products” (NY5013-2006); food contaminants strictly follow the “National Food Safety Standard—Maximum Levels of Contaminants in Foods” (GB2762-2012); pesticide residues strictly comply with the “National Food Safety Standard—Maximum Residue Limits for Pesticides in Foods” (GB2763-2014); product quality strictly follows the “National Standard—Dried Red Dates” (GB/T 5835-2009).