Basic Introduction to Rongxian Shatianyu Grapefruit
Rongxian Shatianyu Grapefruit originates from Rongxian, Guangxi, and is grown in unique sandy soil, making it a distinctive high-quality variety among grapefruits in China. Each fruit weighs between 1000 – 1500 grams, with a golden yellow surface; the flesh is a shrimp-like color, juicy, crisp, tender, and honey-sweet; it ripens in late October, is highly tolerant of storage, and the fruit can be stored for 150 – 180 days, with even better flavor after storage, earning it the beautiful name “Natural Canned Fruit” as a rare fruit.
Nutritional Value
The people of Rongxian, Guangxi, have always cultivated Shatianyu Grapefruit following traditional methods, ensuring very pure environmental, climatic, and soil conditions without human pollution. The Shatianyu Grapefruit grows naturally, and although not large in size, it is very tasty. Rongxian Shatianyu Grapefruit is rich in nutrients, with 51.8 – 58.8% edible pulp, 12-16% soluble solids, 6.4% (on a dry basis) crude protein, about 12% sugar, 0.29% acid, and 100 – 150 milligrams/100 grams of vitamin C, which is the highest among all citrus fruits. It also contains vitamins B1, B2, B6, niacin, and phosphorus, calcium, iron, and has effects such as aiding digestion, reducing phlegm, stopping coughs, moistening lungs, and sobering intoxication.
Product Characteristics
The fruit is large and beautiful, sweet and flavorful, and highly durable in storage. The shape of the fruit is gourd or pear-shaped, with a short neck at the stem end; the bottom of the fruit often has a ring imprint the size of an ancient copper coin, with radiating grooves inside, commonly referred to as a chrysanthemum bottom or money bottom.
History and Folklore
Originating in Rongxian, it was named by the Qing Emperor Qianlong, and designated as a tribute product. The cultivation history of Shatianyu Grapefruit in Rongxian dates back over two thousand years, originally known as “Yang'ezi.” In the Qing Dynasty, Xia Jigang from Shatian Village in Rongxian served as an official in Central China, where he gifted his hometown's famous fruit “Yang'ezi” to his colleagues and presented it to Emperor Qianlong during his tour of the Jiangnan region. The emperor praised its taste and bestowed the name “Shatianyu” (in 1771). From then on, Rongxian Shatianyu Grapefruit became a precious fruit offered to the imperial court, gaining fame far and wide. It was widely introduced and cultivated in various regions and had already been exported to Hong Kong, Macao, Southeast Asia, and Europe and America by the 1930s.
Awards and Honors for Rongxian Shatianyu Grapefruit
In every national and autonomous regional grapefruit quality competition that Rongxian Shatianyu Grapefruit participated in, it ranked top. It won the “Gold Prize” in the national grapefruit competitions in 1992, 1994, 1996, and 1998. In 1953, it received high praise at the Leipzig International Fair, being considered a rare fruit of China. In 1990, the first session of the 10th People's Congress of Rongxian passed a resolution designating Shatianyu Grapefruit as the county's “County Fruit.” In 1995, it was named “China's Shatianyu Grapefruit Hometown.” In 1998, the Citrus Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences tested and evaluated it: the fruit shape is relatively uniform and elegant, the color is bright, the skin is fine and thin, the flesh is tender and melts in the mouth, the flavor is rich, and the quality is excellent.