Shuangcheng Millet

Shuangcheng Millet

Shuangcheng millet is a product with geographical indication status.

　　Shuangcheng Millet

　　Shuangcheng millet is grown in the Songnen Plain, one of the world’s three most fertile black soil regions, blessed with exceptional natural conditions. Located in the golden accumulated temperature zone, the area enjoys abundant sunlight and significant day-night temperature variations, which contribute to rich nutrient accumulation. Millet porridge is highly nutritious and is often praised as the “substitute for ginseng soup.” Locals rely on it to invigorate blood circulation and strengthen bones and muscles. Women consume it after childbirth, and the elderly use it to regain strength after illness. In times when wheat flour and rice were scarce, millet rice was the staple food for rural families and also a delicious dish served to guests. Back then, the aroma of millet congee cooking in one household would waft through the whole neighborhood, and the scent of meals being prepared filled the entire village. The moment a housewife started cooking millet rice inside, the enticing fragrance could be detected even outside the courtyard gate. The cooked rice was fragrant, rich in texture, smooth and pleasant on the palate, with a long-lasting aftertaste. For many years, millet rice nourished the women of Shuangcheng, giving them graceful and radiant charm renowned far and wide. It also made the men of Shuangcheng sturdy as oxen, dashing and elegant, with broad shoulders capable of withstanding all hardships. During the severe famine years when melons and vegetables made up half the diet, folklore tells of young men trading millet for brides, and impoverished students relying on millet porridge and pickles to achieve academic success and enter prestigious universities.

　　Shuangcheng millet has not only nurtured generations of local people but also written its own glorious history. As early as over 800 years ago, when Emperor Taizu of the Jin Dynasty, Wanyan Aguda, rose against the Liao, he rewarded battle-hardened soldiers returning from victory on the frontlines with millet rice, pork-based dishes, and Huayuan wine. Since then, Shuangcheng millet became a treasured imperial tribute. Two hundred years ago, when General Fuyong of Jilin was ordered to establish farming colonies at Shuangcheng Fort for the Imperial Banner people, he later reported his successful efforts to the emperor in Beijing. He presented various agricultural products produced by the Imperial Banner households to Emperor Daoguang. Delighted by the taste of traditional pastries made with ground millet flour, the emperor bestowed official recognition on Shuangcheng millet flour as a royal tribute.

　　Shuangcheng millet has long enjoyed a prestigious reputation. Though not as widely renowned as the millet from regions like Shaanxi, Shandong, and Hebei—which made great contributions to China’s revolution—it still boasts glory of its own. It played a significant role in liberating the entire Northeast and eventually the whole nation.

　　In January 1932, Zhao Yi, commander of the 662nd Regiment of the Northeast Army, led forces in the Shuangcheng Fort defensive battle, severely weakening the arrogance of Japanese invaders. At the initiative of local business leaders such as Che Yutang, head of the Chamber of Commerce, residents of Shuangcheng voluntarily funded the making of flatbread and millet porridge, which were sent to the train station to comfort the soldiers. From 1946 to 1948, the frontline headquarters of the Northeast Democratic United Army (the predecessor to the Fourth Field Army) for the Liaoshen Campaign was stationed in Shuangcheng. Over those two years, the army commanders, nourished by Shuangcheng’s soybeans and millet, successfully directed famous campaigns such as “Three Down the River, Four Defenses of Linjiang,” along with winter, summer, and autumn offensives, and formulated the operational strategy for the Liaoshen Campaign. These efforts laid a solid foundation for the liberation of the entire Northeast and eventually the whole country. At that time, one-third of the county’s population joined the military effort. Especially during the critical moments of “Three Down the River, Four Defenses of Linjiang,” the people of Shuangcheng at the frontlines took on the heavy burden of transporting grain, fodder, and ammunition, as well as rescuing the wounded. Even under consecutive severe natural disasters, locals tightened their belts, sent able-bodied men to the front, contributed their best millet to the troops, and offered their finest carts and horses for war logistics. Throughout the three years of the Liberation War, Shuangcheng contributed over 300 million jin of military grain, earning the honorable title of “No. 1 County in Supporting the Front.” Soldiers of the Northeast Democratic United Army fought bravely with Shuangcheng millet in their bellies, winning battle after battle with growing momentum.

　　In recent years, as the state has placed greater emphasis on agriculture, rural areas, and farmers, agricultural production has improved year by year. Yet, vast fields of millet have gradually disappeared, and authentic millet rice has become hard to come by. In the early 1990s, a relative of the author who had been away from the old village for decades returned and longed to eat a meal of hometown millet rice and farm-style dishes. The village party secretary searched hundreds of households but couldn’t find a single grain of millet. In the end, they had to visit a pork dish restaurant in Shuangcheng city to recreate the experience. Today, although more people are paying attention to health and scientific wellness, recognizing that millet is rich in vitamins, minerals, and trace elements, making it a favored health food, the taste of millet rice today is not what it used to be. It lacks the texture and flavor remembered from the past. This has left many disappointed—migrants longing for the tastes of their youth, veterans of the Fourth Field Army who once savored Shuangcheng millet, and their relatives. It’s common to hear people lament, “When will we ever get to eat that millet rice from the old days again?”

　　In the spring of 2015, the Shuangcheng District Party Committee and District Government, aiming to advance modern agricultural development, readjusted the planting structure. They advocated the use of organic fertilizer to produce conscientious, high-quality crops that could fetch better prices. Under the “Nongwa” (Farmer Kid) agricultural brand strategy, ten production bases across 11 towns—including Wanlong, Shancheng, Xiqin, Handian, Xingfu, Lanling, Shuiquan, Xingshan—were established to grow green, organic, and specialty agricultural products. As a result, by autumn, the millet, rice, beans, peanuts, goji berries, melons, vegetables, potatoes, and coarse grains produced here became sought-after items in the market.

　　Visitors who came to see the fields couldn’t help but exclaim, “I haven’t seen fields like this in years!” “How wonderful it would be to enjoy a meal of freshly harvested millet rice paired with pork dishes and Ping’an Ye liquor!”

　　Grain

　　Geographic Scope

　　The protected geographical indication area for Shuangcheng millet covers 24 townships across the entire Shuangcheng City, including Shuiquan, Gongzheng, Nongfeng, Xingshan, Tongxin, Linjiang, Wanlong, Handian, Jincheng, Lanling, Chaoyang, Shancheng, Lianxing, Qingling, Dongguan, Zhoujia, Xinxing, Wujia, Xingfu, Shuangcheng, Xiqin, Tuanyuan, Yongsheng, and Lequn. The production area spans 246 villages. The geographic coordinates lie between 125°41′ to 126°42′ east longitude and 45°08′ to 45°43′ north latitude. The protected area spans 224,996.4 hectares, with 10,000 hectares dedicated to cultivation, producing 37,500 tons of millet annually.

　　Product Quality Characteristics

　　This section primarily describes the unique quality characteristics of the registered product and the safety standards followed in production. It includes: (1) External sensory features: Shuangcheng millet grains are plump, round, about 0.8 mm in diameter, with bright, uniform golden color. When steamed, they emit a strong aroma, have a soft texture, unique flavor, strong cohesion, and do not easily fall apart. When boiled, the product shows high viscosity and good grain condition. (2) Internal quality indicators: Shuangcheng millet is highly nutritious. Tests show that its protein content exceeds 10%, fat content is less than 3%, crude fiber content is greater than 1%, and amylose content is greater than 16%. (3) Safety requirements: Shuangcheng millet strictly adheres to non-polluting agricultural production protocols. The product meets the standards for non-polluting agricultural products, specifically the small coarse grain category, as outlined in the Agricultural Office Quality [2013] No. 17 directory covering 55 types of such products.