Dashetai Gourds

Dashetai Gourds

　　Dashetai Gourds

　　Dashetai Town in Wulate Front Banner is well known for its abundant production of gourds. Dashetai gourds are famous for their thick flesh, minimal inner cavity, and sweet, delicious taste, with an annual output of about 100,000 jin (50 metric tons), and are sold both within and outside the region.

　　The cultivation of Dashetai gourds originally began in the Sangren Gedou group of Xinjian Village. In the early 1990s, this group introduced over 200 mu (approximately 13 hectares) of gourd plants from the northeast, achieving excellent returns in the first year. This success motivated many local farmers to get involved in gourd farming, leading to a gradual expansion of planting area. Moreover, all 410,000 mu (approximately 27,300 hectares) of arable land in the town are suitable for gourd cultivation, with around 50,000 mu (approximately 3,300 hectares) planted annually, and gourds grown in villages across the entire township.

　　The main varieties of Dashetai gourds include summer squash, floury gourds, and shell-less gourds. Summer squash is large, fresh, and tender, while floury gourds are big, sandy-textured, and sweet, and are sold to nearby cities. The seeds produced are large, high-quality, and colorful—In 2007, the purchase price was around 16 yuan per kilogram. The whole production process follows non-polluting agricultural practices, making them high-quality pollution-free agricultural products and an important raw material base for major nut roasting factories. In recent years, they have gained fame across the country, and the folk song "Praising the Hetao Region" includes the line “The gourds of Dashetai are praised by all.”