The Three Treasures of Changxing

The Three Treasures of Changxing

　　Ginkgo nuts, green plums, and trichosanthes are known as the “Three Treasures of Changxing”

Ginkgo in Changxing, commonly known as ginkgo nut, mainly has two varieties: one is called meihe and the other fozhi. Meihe, commonly known as round ginkgo, is shaped like a plum pit, smaller in size, with a soft, sweet kernel and a fragrant, delicious taste; fozhi, commonly known as long ginkgo, is pointed at both ends, larger in size. Ginkgo from Changxing ranks top nationwide, rich in nutrition, and known for its effects of “delaying aging and moisturizing the skin.” Stir-fried ginkgo is a local specialty food, and various ginkgo-based dishes are also delicious. Currently, the annual production exceeds 400 tons, with exports accounting for about 70% of the province’s total.

Green plums are a type of green fruit containing various acids such as citric acid, tannic acid, and tartaric acid. Eaten raw, they can quench thirst, stimulate the appetite, and relieve depression, and are also suitable for processing into various dried fruits and preserves. Salted plums can reduce fever and dispel wind-cold. Dark plums have multiple functions such as consolidating the lungs, astringing the intestines, relieving chronic cough, and reducing swelling. The juice can treat enteritis, dysentery, and more. Plum essence can be used as a food additive. Plum vinegar serves as a mordant in industry. Historical records mention Changxing plum orchards: “Exiting Jixiang Gate leads to Meihua Villa, and Kongwang Temple in Xiaopu features Meihua Alley.” Even during the Anti-Japanese War period, there was a saying: “Twenty miles of continuous fragrance.” Dried dark plums, baked from green plums, were historically mainly produced in the Badou region around Hexi Baidu, hence called “Hemei,” and enjoyed great renown in Southeast Asian countries. Green plums are highly adaptable, high-yielding, and profitable. They have now become a leading agricultural industry in the county, with a total planting area of 35,000 mu, making Changxing the top green plum-producing county in Zhejiang.

Dark plums are a famous and specialty product of Changxing, with those from Hexi being the best, renowned both domestically and internationally as “Hemei.” According to the "Chinese Agricultural Annals," they won the second prize at the National Exhibition in 1932. 　　 Trichosanthes, commonly known as hanging melon, is its colloquial name; its scientific name is trichosanthes, a unique specialty of Changxing. It is both edible and medicinal. Its seeds, when roasted, are fragrant and palatable, making it a “natural, wild, green” health food. It belongs to the perennial herbaceous vine plants of the Cucurbitaceae family. Its roots, seeds, and peel are all important traditional Chinese medicinal materials. Trichosanthes seeds are large and flesh-rich, containing abundant fats and proteins. Roasted, they are a premium variety among edible melon seeds. Trichosanthes is highly adaptable (suitable for cultivation in most parts of China), can make full use of land and space, and provides long-term returns after a single planting, offering very significant economic benefits. (Changxing)