Longan is delicious and effective for health. What is the origin of this name?

Longan originated in the south of China, and its cultivation history can be traced back to the Han Dynasty more than 2,000 years ago. Qi Yao Min Shu in the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534) said: "Longan is a mystery and a comparison." Because it matures in the season when osmanthus trees are fragrant, it is commonly known as longan. It was listed as an important tribute in ancient times. Wei Wendi Yuanbaoju (535-55 1) of the Northern Dynasties and the Western Wei Dynasty wrote to his minister: "The rare fruits in the south include longan and litchi, which make the year old."

Longan was widely planted in Quanzhou in Song Dynasty.

Su Song, a native of Tongan County, quanzhou county in the Northern Song Dynasty, recorded in Compendium of Materia Medica (106 1): "Longan was born in the valley of the South China Sea, and litchi can be found everywhere in Fujian, Guangzhou and Sichuan today.

Wang Zan Guiyuan, the secretariat of Quanzhou in the Southern Song Dynasty, said: "There is no light red sweeping the floor, and thousands of trees are whistling. Just like a puzzle that is not a medicine, the taste is really servile than lychee. "

Huang Ming Zhao Zhong's "Eight Min Tong Zhi" describes: "The longan tree is like a plum branch, but its leaves are small and its skin is yellow-brown. Longan is ripe as soon as the litchi branch passes, so southerners call it litchi slave. There are all counties in Quanzhou, and counties (now Licheng District and Fengze District) are especially prosperous. "

In "Shu Min" written by Quanzhou Ren He in the Ming Dynasty, "there are lychee longan in the garden, and the trip to the world is dried."

Quanzhou longan has a long history of grafting propagation. Grafting propagation of longan is recorded in Bo (1597) and Deng Daoxie (1628). In the early Qing Dynasty, Zhou Lianggong's Notes on Fujian (1666— 1668) and Guo Baicang's Records of Fujian's Production are different in types and are still in use today. The old method is to fill the soil with hanging bowls. There are many varieties of longan in Quanzhou with different flavors. There are more than 50 famous varieties such as Puming Anben and Hon Hai Er Benben. Longan, the most acclaimed pioneer, 1993 Gold Award of China Agricultural Fair.

"Dongbi" longan originated from the corner of the original Dongbi Temple next to the East Tower of Kaiyuan Temple in Quanzhou, hence the name. Her mother was planted by monks in Kaiyuan Temple during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty (1573- 1620) and died in War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression for more than 300 years. There is an ancient longan tree in Chengtian Temple in Quanzhou, which has a history of more than 200 years. It is the oldest tree in the eyes of the existing "Dongbi" dragon. Today, "Dongbi" longan is widely propagated in Quanzhou and other longan producing areas in the province. Legend has it that in the early days of Xianyou, a monk took "East Wall" longan seedlings from Kaiyuan Temple in Quanzhou and planted them in Xianyou. Now, 20,000 adult trees have been cultivated and named as "Quanzhou Ben", but the quality is not as good as the original "Dongbi" longan.

"Dongbi" longan is of good quality. Its skin has a pale yellow tiger pattern, which is called "flower shell" by Ren Quan, which is the most remarkable difference between its appearance and other longan varieties. "East wall" longan, also known as "candied melon honey", has pale white flesh, transparent if frozen, thick and tender, sweet and delicious, with the characteristics of "paper is not wet, dust can not afford sand", which is called the treasure of the fruit.

There is also a kind of "lucky eye", formerly known as "tiger eye". "Quanzhou Prefecture Records" records that "a great man is famous for his tiger eyes". The sound of "tiger" and "blessing" in spring language is similar, so "blessing eye" is used instead of "tiger eye" to take its auspicious and beautiful meaning. Yanfu is the main cultivated variety in Quanzhou, which has been cultivated for more than 800 years. He has won the International Paris Tourism Food Gold Award and the China Agricultural Fair Quality Award. In recent years, longan has been planted in all producing areas in the province, which is the largest variety planted in our province. It is said that the big longan planted in Taiwan Province is also called "Yan Fu" by local compatriots.