Our newspaper (Reporter Tang Jie) — Hometown of Zuo Zongtang, the land of “fiery peppers.” On May 10, reporters visited the chili industry base in Zhangshu Town, Xiangyin County. The Opening Ceremony of the 4th Xiangyin Rural Tourism Festival 2019 and the Zhangshu Port Chili Festival kicked off with great zest. Over ten thousand tourists, merchants, food tasting experts, travel agencies, and more than 40 media reporters from across the province gathered for a “chili journey” through the scenic rural countryside.
This event was hosted by the People’s Government of Xiangyin County, and organized by the Publicity Department of Xiangyin County Party Committee, the Culture, Tourism, Radio, Television and Sports Bureau, and the People’s Government of Zhangshu Town. It was co-organized by Hunan Broadcasting System Economic Channel, Zuo Gong Hometown Tourism Investment Development Co., Ltd., Yangquehu Agricultural Development Co., Ltd., Yangsha Lake International Tourism Resort, and the Zhangshu Port Chili Industry Association. The aim is to comprehensively implement Xiangyin’s rural revitalization strategy, promote the vigorous development of the rural tourism industry, and enhance the external visibility and reputation of Xiangyin's tourism brand.
In recent years, leveraging its advantages of riverside and lakeside resources, Xiangyin County has committed to developing all-for-one tourism as a strategic pillar industry. The county has vigorously advanced panoramic construction, full-area development, and integrated industry development, promoting the culture, ecology, and leisure associated with water. It is striving to build an eco-cultural city, an innovation and entrepreneurship hub, a tourism and wellness destination, and a leisure and gourmet paradise. Specialty products such as Zhangshu Port chilies, Helong Lake crabs, and Santang pickled vegetables have gained fame overseas. Attractions including Liuzhuang, Qingshan Island, Eshape Mountain, Zuo Zongtang Cultural Park, Donghu Ecological Park, Guo Songtao Cultural & Sports Plaza, and Yangsha Lake International Tourism Resort have become popular destinations for tourists from within and outside the province.
“Xiangyin is a beautiful small town where you can breathe deeply and enjoy a leisurely life. It is also a valuable highland suitable for living, working, opening up, and development.” At the opening ceremony, Yu Liangyong, Secretary of the Xiangyin County Party Committee, and Li Zhenjiang, Deputy Secretary and County Magistrate, sincerely invited friends from across the country to stroll through Xiangyin’s countryside to experience poetic nostalgia, savor the flavors of freshwater delicacies on their taste buds, immerse themselves in the charm of rivers and lakes, and appreciate the culture of Hunan. (The content of the leaders’ speeches is subject to the live event.)
“The Xiang River flows far and the Dongting Mountains stand tall; fishermen’s songs at dusk need not call one back. The new willows in Liuzhuang glisten with rain, while orioles sing by Yangque Lake.” Reporters learned that in the late Qing Dynasty, the eminent official Zuo Zongtang once wrote in a memorial to the throne that he had “a longing for chilies,” expressing his desire to resign from office and return to his hometown — Xiangyin County. Later, Zuo acquired 70 acres of land in Liujiachong, Zhangshu Town, Xiangyin, where he embarked on a 14-year life of “reading, planting willows, mulberry trees, and growing chilies” as a “rural scholar-farmer” of Xiang. Chili peppers were an indispensable part of his daily meals. What Zuo longed for became the now-renowned “heavenly-priced chili,” which enjoys immense popularity both in and out of the province and was once sold for over 500 yuan per kilogram — the Zhangshu Port Chili.
Zhangshu Town is located in the southeastern part of Xiangyin County, adjacent to Dongting Lake, beside the Xiang River, with Tielu Lake to the south, Wenjing Port to the north, and Yangque Lake in the center. From south to north, it is also embraced by the majestic Eshape Mountain Range, forming a natural basin. The town features deep arable soil layers rich in trace elements such as zinc, selenium, iron, and calcium — all vital for plant growth. Even more uniquely, the local climate conditions make the Zhangshu Port Chili truly one of a kind. When stir-fried, its skin and flesh do not separate and it offers a delicious combination of aroma, crispness, and sweetness. In 2013, “Zhangshu Port Chili” was awarded a National Geographical Indication certification trademark and was included in the National Directory of Famous, Special, and High-quality New Agricultural Products.
Adhering to the principles of “government support, enterprise leadership, social participation, and market operation,” Zhangshu Town has promoted industrialized development through an “association + company + base + cooperative + farmer” model. The town continues to strengthen base construction, promote scientific cultivation, and nurture leading enterprises, striving to establish itself as a distinctive agricultural industrialization town. This year, the total chili planting area reached 7,500 mu, with an expected yield of 8,000 tons and an output value of 150 million yuan.
At the event site, multiple provincial online media outlets broadcast live, witnessing the growth of the “new star chili,” showcasing the craftsmanship of Zhangshu Port chili growers, and boosting the development of the new Hunan cuisine industry. Hunan Economic TV’s “Live Big Events” created the “First Xiangjiang Chili Banquet” — a chili cooking challenge featuring Zhangshu Port chilies. Six representative new-style Hunan cuisine restaurant brands — Fei Da Fu’s Stir-Fried Chili Pork, Mengzhong, Baisha Old Flavor, Mao’s Restaurant, Nongengji, and Chuiyan Times — all sent their head chefs to showcase their skills, treating visitors to both visual delight and culinary pleasure, leaving them exclaiming how delightfully spicy it was.
It is understood that during the festival, a series of events will also be held, including the awarding of the Academician Chili Research Workstation, exhibitions of tourism products, scenic spots, and premium routes, and the signing ceremony for the Yangquehu Chili Industry project cooperation. These will promote premium rural tourism routes such as the Zuo Zongtang Cultural Park, Yangsha Lake International Tourism Resort, and Helong Lake; display and sell specialties including Zhangshu Port chilies, Zuo Zongtang cultural products, Yangsha Lake ecological pork, and Helong Lake shrimp and crabs; and showcase the advantageous resources, natural landscapes, historical culture, and local customs of Xiangyin’s rural tourism, heating up Xiangyin’s rural tourism scene.