Xiaozhou Mountain Organic Rice

Xiaozhou Mountain Organic Rice

　　Xiaozhou Mountain Township in Qingtian County is located in the southeast of Qingtian, bordering Yongjia in Wenzhou to the east and Wenxi to the south. At an elevation of 380 meters, it is known as the “Hometown of Photography,” “Hometown of Ecology,” and “Hometown of Fish and Rice.” The area has maintained the traditional farming practice of rice-fish cultivation.

　　Xiaozhou Mountain organic rice is grown in terraced fields at elevations around 400 meters and belongs to local varieties such as late japonica and red rice. Since ancient times, organic rice has been highly favored by food enthusiasts for three main reasons: First, the millennia-old practice of rice-fish farming allows the essence of the fish to infuse the rice, giving it a smooth, pearl-like texture; second, organic green manure is used, with pest-free rapeseed cake for seedling cultivation, along with rapeseed oil and solar-powered pest control, manual weeding, and no chemical fertilizers or pesticides; third, the growing environment is unique, with irrigation from mountain spring water, long hours of sunlight, large diurnal temperature variations, and frequent mist. As a result, the mature organic rice boasts golden husks and jade-like grains, emits a fragrant aroma, tastes sweet, has a soft texture, and remains delicious even after many servings—truly the finest of all rices.

　　During the Ming Dynasty, recommended by Liu Bowen, Xiaozhou Mountain rice was selected as tribute rice for the imperial court; in the Qing Dynasty, it was also exported to Southeast Asia as national rice; in 2005, the “Rice-Fish Symbiosis System” was recognized by the United Nations as a “Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System,” drawing worldwide attention.