Tailai Rice

Tailai Rice

Tailai Rice is a geographical indication protected product.

Tailai Rice is a geographical indication certified trademark.

　　The climate and light-heat conditions in Tailai County, Heilongjiang Province, are exceptionally favorable, situated at the upper limit of the province’s first accumulated temperature zone and also within a dry hot wind area. The annual average sunshine duration is 1,578.5 hours, with an average daily temperature range of 12.2°C and an annual solar radiation of 131 kilocalories per square centimeter. These favorable climatic conditions result in the accumulation of more dry matter in the form of proteins during the photosynthesis process of rice, making Tailai Rice highly nutritious, rich in protein content, with high gel consistency and excellent palatability.

　　Tailai County boasts abundant water resources, with one river and five streams within its territory. The Nen River, one of China's two major unpolluted rivers, flows through the county. This unique water resource environment contributes to the rich nutrition and low heavy metal content of Tailai Rice, with all indicators surpassing those of neighboring counties (cities) and exceeding green food standards. Additionally, the county is located at the forefront of the Songnen Plain, one of the world’s three major black soil belts, featuring fertile soil that is conducive to rice cultivation, yielding high-quality rice with low chalkiness and high milling yield.

　　The distinctive geographical location, unique climate, and unpolluted soil and water conditions in Tailai County have created the unique qualities of Tailai Rice. The rice grains are long-oval shaped, measuring 5.0 to 5.8 mm in length, with a length-to-width ratio between 1.8 and 2.2. The grains are semi-transparent, having a clear white and glossy appearance, with few deep lines and low chalkiness. They are rich in nutrients and have a relatively high protein content. When cooked, they emit a rich and distinctive aroma, with a soft and slightly sticky texture, clean white appearance with an oily sheen on the surface, excellent palatability, and even better taste when slightly cooled.

　　　Rice cultivation in Tailai County has a history of over a hundred years, dating back to the Qing Dynasty during the Guangxu era, when a small number of migrant settlers initially grew rice along the Nen River using river water. In 1933, a Korean reclamation group organized by Japan settled in Shuguang Village, Siliwu Township (now part of the original county area), initiating large-scale rice cultivation. By 1949, the planting area had reached 13,000 mu. Throughout the 1950s, the rice cultivation area steadily increased, expanding to over 30,000 mu by 1960, and further to 42,000 mu by 1980. After the implementation of the household responsibility system, particularly with the introduction and promotion of the dry nursery and sparse planting technique for rice, the advantages of high and stable yields, as well as resistance to drought and flooding, were fully realized. Coupled with strategies such as "using rice to manage waterlogging" and "using rice to manage drought," the area under rice cultivation began to grow rapidly, reaching 169,000 mu by 1990 and 374,000 mu by 1998. Since 2004, with the continuous rise in rice market prices and the incentive of national agricultural policies such as “one exemption and two subsidies,” the rice planting area expanded rapidly, reaching 1.2 million mu by 2008 (including 90,330 mu from the provincial Liusan Farm and 30,000 mu from the state-owned Tailai Farm), with an annual yield of up to 720,000 tons. In 2008, the county was designated by the provincial government as a demonstration county for the rice “567” high-yield project (targeting 550 kg per mu at the county level, 600 kg at the township level, and over 700 kg in core areas). In 2009, 234,000 mu of rice fields applied for by the county were preliminarily selected by the Qiqihar Municipal Government as a primary agricultural product base for space center food.

　　The geographical indication protection area for Tailai Rice covers nine administrative regions in Tailai County, Heilongjiang Province: Jiangqiao Town, Tangchi Town, Daxing Town, Tazicheng Town, Heping Town, Keli Town, Pingyang Town, Ningjiang Township, and Shengli Township.