Huocheng Cherry Plum

Huocheng Cherry Plum

Huocheng Cherry Plum is a product with geographical indication status.

　　Huocheng County, designated by the state as the "Hometown of China's Wild Cherry Plum," is the world’s rarest and Asia’s only native habitat of wild cherry plums.

　　The cherry plum, commonly known as wild sour plum, is an extremely precious, rare, and endangered wild forest fruit with highly valuable resources. It is named cherry plum because it resembles a cherry in shape but has the color of a plum.

　　According to records from the "Flora of China" and research by the National Research Institute of Wild Plants, wild cherry plums have only been found in the western Tianshan Mountains of Xinjiang, the Caucasus, and the mountains of Asia Minor, and their wild resources are extremely scarce. Cherry plums have unique growing conditions and are only distributed in the Daxigou Mountain area of Huocheng County, Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang, within a specific inversion zone at altitudes of 900–1600 meters. They grow along stream gullies and on shady slopes with many gravel stones. The cherry plum population here represents the world’s only remaining pure wild cherry plum forest, covering an area of about 700 hectares.

　　Cherry plum belongs to the Rosaceae family, Prunus genus. It is a deciduous shrub or small tree that can grow up to 8 meters tall; it is multi-branched, with slender and spreading branches, lush dark green leaves, white flowers, and blooms in April, bearing fruit in August. The fruits are small berries, nearly spherical or oval, slightly coated with wax powder, and come in five colors: purplish-black, purple, purplish-red, red, and yellow. Their diameter ranges from 2–3 cm, and the single fruit weighs between 2.6–9.2 grams. The fruits are rich in nutrients and have a sweet and sour taste. Cherry plums are highly cold-resistant and can withstand temperatures as low as -35°C. Wild trees are typically over 80 years old, and ancient trees over a hundred years old are common in the primeval forests.

　　Cherry plum fruits are rich in a variety of essential amino acids, carotene, vitamins A, B1, B2, as well as beneficial elements such as potassium, calcium, and selenium for human health. They can enhance appetite, aid digestion, supplement calcium, and also offer health benefits such as softening blood vessels, protecting the liver and spleen, suppressing high blood pressure and high blood lipids, and boosting the immune system. Cherry plums are suitable for both drying and fresh consumption and can be processed into dried sour plums, preserves, jams, jams, pharmaceuticals, wines, and other health-oriented leisure foods. They can also be used as functional foods, solid food ingredients, as well as base materials for beverages, candies, and pastries. They are also excellent base materials for extracting high-quality natural pigments.

　　In 1999, Huocheng County began cultivating wild cherry plums using biomimetic techniques. Through the hard work of agricultural experts, artificial cultivation of wild cherry plums was successfully achieved and gradually promoted on a large scale, opening up a path to prosperity for local farmers. Leveraging this resource advantage, Xinjiang Yili Duflong Beverage & Food Co., Ltd. developed and produced Duflong-brand wild sour plum juice and jam, which gained widespread popularity among consumers. In 2006, Zhejiang Yangshengtang Industrial Development Co., Ltd. and Xinjiang Yili Duflong Beverage & Food Co., Ltd. jointly invested in establishing Xinjiang Nongfu Orchard Huocheng Fruit Industry Development Co., Ltd., which processes and produces a variety of concentrated fruit and vegetable jams (juices) made from cherry plums, apples, apricots, peaches, strawberries, tomatoes, carrots, and more. Following the approach of "leading enterprises revitalizing industries, industries driving bases, and bases enriching farmers," Huocheng County collaborated with Xinjiang Nongfu Orchard Huocheng Fruit Industry Development Co., Ltd. to create the country’s largest cherry plum base under a modern contract farming model of "company + farmer + base." Currently, the county has planted cherry plums across nearly 10,000 acres.

　　Author: Chen Youming

　　Fruit Product

　　Geographical Scope

　　Huocheng County is under the jurisdiction of the Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture, located in the western part of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China. To the north, it borders the Tianshan Mountains and is adjacent to Wenquan County and Bole City of the Bortala Mongol Autonomous Prefecture; to the south, it faces the Ili River, across which lies Qapqal Xibe Autonomous County; to the east, it neighbors Yining County and Yining City; to the west, it shares a border with Kazakhstan along the Khorgos River. The northern inversion zone along the mountains of Huocheng County is the only distribution area of cherry plums in Asia. The geographical indication protection area of Huocheng Cherry Plum includes 11 townships (centers): Daxigou Township, Huaiyuan Town, Qingshuihe Town, Luchaogou Town, Saerbulake Town, Shuiding Town, Langgan Township, Liangfan Center, Guozigou Ranch, Sangong Township, and Sandaohe Township, encompassing 77 administrative villages. The geographical coordinates of Huocheng Cherry Plum are longitude 80°11′ to 81°24′ and latitude 43°39′ to 44°50′, with an altitude range of 540–1100 meters. The protected area covers 4000 hectares, and the annual yield of cherry plums is 150,000 tons.

　　Product Quality Characteristics

　　Huocheng Cherry Plum is named for its cherry-like appearance and plum-like color, also commonly referred to as wild sour plum. The fruit is a small berry, nearly spherical or oval, slightly coated with wax powder, and comes in various colors including purplish-black, purple, purplish-red, red, and yellow. The fresh fruit weighs approximately 0.6–9.0 grams. It has a sweet and sour taste, slightly leaning toward acidity, and the juice has a deep red and attractive color, making it an ideal base material for extracting high-quality natural pigments. Cherry plum is suitable for both drying and fresh use and can be processed into dried sour plums and preserves. It is also an excellent ingredient for making beverages, jams, and fruit wines, among other health-focused drinks.