Basic Introduction to Huanghua Winter Jujube
Huanghua Winter Jujube is a product protected by its original geographical indication. Numerous domestic experts have conducted on-site investigations and analyses, concluding that: Huanghua is near the sea, and its climate provides ample light and heat with large diurnal temperature differences, which are conducive to the accumulation of sugar in the fruits, making their sugar content relatively high; the soil around Huanghua is relatively thick and has good tillage properties, containing abundant chloride and potassium ions. These ions can increase the vitamin content and other trace elements and nutritional components in the fruit, as well as enhance its crispness and hardness. Therefore, the Huanghua Winter Jujube is unique in quality, clear and sweet, crispy, and rich in nutrients, benefiting both the internal organs and external clarity.
Nutritional Value
The Winter Jujube is extremely nutritious. It contains 19 essential amino acids for humans, such as aspartic acid, threonine, and serine, with a total content of 0.985 mg/100g; it contains 1.65% protein; 2.3% dietary fiber (totaling 17. %); 0.26% total flavonoids; 0.87 mg/100g niacin; 1.1 mg/kg carotene; 0.1 mg/kg vitamin B1; 2.2 mg/kg vitamin B2; and particularly high levels of vitamin C, reaching 352 mg/100g. This is 70 times the vitamin C content found in apples, 100 times that of pears, and 20 times that of golden thread small jujubes, earning it the reputation of being a “living vitamin pill.”
In addition, the fruit also contains a considerable amount of vitamins A and E, as well as potassium, sodium, iron, copper, and other trace elements. It has the function of maintaining capillary circulation and preventing increased fragility of blood vessel walls, making it effective for treating hypertension and arteriosclerosis and having anti-cancer properties. Its nutritional value ranks among the highest of all fruits, earning it the title of “King of Fruits.”
Product Characteristics
The Huanghua Winter Jujube has a thin skin, thick flesh, and a small core. The flesh is delicate and crispy, with a pleasant sour-sweet taste and excellent mouthfeel, “eating it feels like the refreshing dew of early summer, invigorating the spirit; savoring it is like reaching for the moon and picking clouds, captivating the heart and soul,” making it a precious fruit.
Historical Folklore
It is said that Xu Fu stayed here with a thousand men and women for more than two years, searching for the elixir of immortality. At that time, the locals presented him with a rare fruit, harvested in early winter, large and round, translucent, shattering upon impact, sweet and refreshing to eat, leaving one feeling refreshed and invigorated. Everyone who tasted it believed it to be a “divine fruit.” However, the distance from here to Xianyang was thousands of miles, and even with swift horses, by the time the fruit reached the capital, it had lost its freshness, so Emperor Qin Shi Huang never got to taste it.
In the Ming Dynasty, Wang Ao wrote a poem:
Emperor Qin sought immortals and built the City of Mao, a thousand children exchanged for your eternal life.
Envy and deceit brought no news, and countless ages still lament the name of the Second Emperor.
Nowadays, only the ruins of the City of Mao remain, a testament to the passage of thousands of years.
Great marshes overflow, the Hangu Pass smokes, the struggle between Chu and Han, two different seasons in the Spring and Autumn era.
During the heyday of the Western Han Dynasty, Emperor Wu “sought barbarians abroad and promoted prosperity at home,” achieving brilliant accomplishments. Yet this great hero was also superstitious, worshipping deities and seeking immortality, desiring to live forever. In 110 BC, Emperor Wu was bewitched by his favorite court alchemist Li Shaojun's claim that “immortals eat immortal jujubes and do not decline for over 500 years.” He mobilized troops, first descending Mount Song and then heading east through the territory of Zhangwu County, in search of longevity fruit, building an altar to observe the sea and seek immortals. According to the “Topography Records” of the Northern Wei Dynasty: “In Zhangwu, there is the Altar of Emperor Wu, with two sites to the north and south, sixty li apart.” In the Ming Dynasty, Wang Ao wrote a poem about the Altar of Emperor Wu:
A platform built more than a hundred feet high, ascending to look out at the sea where immortals dwell.
In his later years, he issued an edict expressing regret, for Luand and Wen were always illusions.
The divine fruit and immortal jujube of Emperors Qin and Han refer to the Winter Jujube, cultivated in today's Juguang Village by the Nanniang River north of Huanghua.
Awards and Honors for Huanghua Winter Jujube
Huanghua Winter Jujube is the most famous of the Chinese Winter Jujube varieties. In the village of Juguang in Qihuwu Town, Huanghua City, there still exists the world's largest and oldest original Winter Jujube forest.
At the 2007 China Huanghua Winter Jujube Festival, the Deputy Director of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage personally granted Huanghua City the right to use the “Cultural Heritage Symbol” for “Huanghua Winter Jujube”!