Yan Shou Rice

Yan Shou Rice

Yan Shou Rice is a protected geographical indication product.

Yan Shou Rice is an agricultural geographical indication product.

　　Geographical Scope

　　The production area of Yan Shou Rice is located in the southeastern part of Heilongjiang Province, on the western foothills of the Zhangguangcai Mountain Range, along the middle reaches of the Manyan River on the southern bank of the Songhua River. It spans from longitude 127°54′20″ to 129°04′30″ and latitude 45°10′10″ to 45°45′25″. It borders Shangzhi City to the west and south, Fangzheng County to the northeast, and Bin County to the northwest. The region stretches 90 kilometers from east to west and 65 kilometers from north to south, covering a total area of 3,149.55 square kilometers. The county has 5 towns, 4 townships, and 106 administrative villages, with a total cultivated land area of 1.61 million mu. The geographical indication zone includes rice fields across 70 administrative villages in 8 townships: parts of Yanshou Town, Liutuan Town, Zhonghe Town, Jiaxin Town, Anshan Township, parts of Shoushan Township, Yuhe Township, and Yanhe Town.

　　Natural Ecological Environment and Human Historical Factors

　　(1) Soil and Topography: The production area of Yan Shou Rice features flat terrain, far from urban centers, with no industrial “three wastes” pollution. The land is clean, the fields are unpolluted, and the soil is fertile—comprising black clay and sandy loam. The low-lying topography provides rich soil organic matter content of 3%–6%, indicating naturally high fertility, making it especially suitable for rice cultivation.

　　(2) Hydrology: The rice paddies in Yan Shou County, Harbin City, Heilongjiang Province, are irrigated by the Manyan River, Liangzhu River, and partially by groundwater. This base lies upstream of the irrigation zone, ensuring no pollution. The climate is mild, with ample sunlight and abundant rainfall, offering a sound ecological environment. Forest coverage stands at 46.9%. There are currently two medium-sized reservoirs, 25 small reservoirs, ten irrigation zones larger than 10,000 mu, 617 water-lifting irrigation sites, and 1,600 ponds and dams.

　　(3) Yan Shou County is situated on the eastern side of the Asian continent at mid-latitudes and features a mid-temperate continental monsoon climate. The county’s average annual temperature is 2.6°C. The historical lowest temperature recorded was -42.6°C, and the highest was 35°C. Over the years,

　　the average accumulated temperature along both banks of the Manyan River is 2,493.5°C, while the transitional hilly and undulating areas between mountains and plains reach about 2,300°C. The average frost-free period spans 122–129 days. The county’s average annual precipitation is 570.9 millimeters, and the average annual sunshine duration is 2,490.1 hours. Yan Shou County’s climate is typical of a dual cropping region supporting both paddy and upland farming.

　　(4) Human Historical Background: Rice cultivation in Yan Shou County has a history of over 80 years. According to the *Yan Shou County Annals*, Korean farmers who settled in the region in the 12th year of the Republic of China (1923) began cultivating rice in low-lying areas. By the 16th year (1927), the rice-growing area had reached 8,345 mu. By 1934, the countywide rice area had expanded to 148,380 mu, marking the first peak in rice development. By 1989, the paddy field area had grown to 297,000 mu. Starting in 1989, experimental demonstrations and promotion of dry nursery, sparse planting, and high-yield rice cultivation techniques were carried out, gradually phasing out the traditional method of broadcasting seeds. Techniques such as plastic-shed dry nurseries, sparse planting, and transplanting were implemented. Rice yields jumped from the original 100–150 kg per mu to 300–350 kg, doubling productivity. In terms of fertilizer use, chemical fertilizers were gradually increased alongside organic fertilizers. For weed control, chemical herbicides were introduced alongside manual weeding, reducing labor intensity. By 1995, due to the rapid development of high-efficiency cash crops, some farmers switched from paddy to upland crops, reducing the paddy area to 214,000 mu. Rice output reached 114,000 tons, with yield per mu hitting 532 kg. By 1999, the rice area expanded to 237,000 mu, with output reaching 147,000 tons. Starting in 2002, the rice area increased annually, reaching 663,000 mu by 2007 with a yield of 330,000 tons. Rice varieties were fully integrated, and based on regional layout and accumulated temperature zoning, five core varieties were primarily promoted across the county: Wuyoudao No. 3, Songjing No. 10, Longjing No. 14, Suijing No. 7, and Kenjing No. 12, achieving a high-quality seed rate of over 98%. Techniques such as dry nursery sparse planting, large and medium greenhouse seedling cultivation, and mechanical transplanting were widely adopted. Starting in 2005, experiments, demonstrations, and promotion of a new substrate soilless dry nursery high-yield cultivation technique were carried out and demonstrated province-wide. Yan Shou County’s rice cultivation technology leads the province and has become one of the key premium rice production regions. In 2008, Yan Shou County was approved by the Heilongjiang Green Food Office as a “National Standardized Raw Material Rice Production Base County for Green Food.” Since 2006, the county has pursued a branding strategy, focusing on the “Liangzhu” brand to help Yan Shou Rice expand beyond the province and enter southern markets. The brand has grown increasingly prominent and well-known.