What is the climate like in Guangchang County? How about the customs?

Guangchang County is located in the central border of Gan Dong, the southern end of Fuzhou City, belongs to the source of the Fu River (dawn river) origin, plains and hills interlaced with a mild climate, abundant rainfall, a long frost-free period, plenty of light, very suitable for the growth of white lotus. Guangchang white lotus has a long history of cultivation and was called "Tribute Lotus" in ancient times. Written records began in the Tang Dynasty Yifeng years (676-679), according to the Ming Zhengde "Jianchang Fu Zhi": "White Lotus Pond in the county east of the Zen garden of Hui'an Temple, Tang Yifeng years, the residents have been extended to plant red lotus, a few years suddenly turned white, petals in the golden Fan Guanyin statue, the extension of the house for the temple, and after a few years for the blue. Between the Song Xining, the elder Zhinong repair courtyard temple, the pool after the birth of the Rui Lotus, because of the building of the hall on the pool, in order to show its Rui. So far there have been more than 1300 years.

On the history of lotus planting in Quangchang, in the folklore of the story: Legend has it that in ancient times the plague was prevalent, a kind-hearted, magic power of the Yue lotus woman, holding a lotus flower dispersed the disease, saved the lives of all the people in the village, and taught people to plant the lotus. Since then, the white lotus grows luxuriantly, the plague is extinct, and the people prosper. In addition, the Yue people have the custom of cutting off their hair and tattooing, and everyone has a lotus petal tattoo painted on their bodies. From the geographical scope, Guangchang belongs to the place where the ancient Yue people lived and operated, therefore, it is reasonable that Guangchang had the custom of planting lotus since ancient times before Tang "Yifeng". During more than a thousand years of white lotus production history, Guangchang folk gradually formed a whole set of lotus-related folklore. Guangchang folk lotus lanterns, such as hand-held lotus lamps, shoulder lotus baskets, lotus lamps, lotus bowl lamps, lotus root lamps, etc., quite local characteristics. Every year on the 24th day of the 6th lunar month, the lotus farmers call it "Lotus Flower Birthday" (customarily referred to as "Lotus Festival"), and the temple fair of Prince Lotus God will be held for three days from the 24th to the 26th day, to reward the Lotus God, to pray for the welfare, and to celebrate the good harvest, and people from the border of Gan, Fujian and other provinces come to participate in it. The people of Gan, Min and other provinces on the border come to participate in the festival, which is very lively.

Guangchang has been known as "Lotus Town" since ancient times. Legend has it that every June 26th of the lunar calendar, on the day of the birth of the lotus flower, the county magistrate would invite the township scholars and artists to sit in the pavilions and water pavilions, which were built on the hillside and in a chic shape, and through the leaky windows and from the heights, they would enjoy the view of the lotus field and write poems to express their feelings. There is a poem for proof "a thousand lotus flowers three feet of water, a bend of the bright moon half pavilion phoenix". The name "Lotus Hall" has been widely circulated among the people for many generations. In the colloquial language of the folk "incense" and "township" resonance, after the folk called Guangchang "Lotus Township". Since the 1930s, there are newspapers, magazines will be Guangchang known as "Lotus Township", the most authoritative of which is "China's economic capitals, townships, name" book (China Development Press, edited by Ma Hong). 1995, Guangchang County, held in the Great Hall of the People in the first one hundred of China's specialty townships named the General Assembly honored to be picked! "In April 1999, Guangchang County was awarded the title of "China's Hometown of High-Quality White Lotus" in the large-scale publicity activities of "China's Specialty Hometown" launched by People's Daily. The title of "China's high-quality white lotus town"." Lotus Town" before the stage for thousands of years because of the abundance of white lotus and the formation of white lotus distribution sales polder and famous, so far preserved more than fifty Ming and Qing dynasty ancient architectural complexes, can be seen everywhere in the beautifully carved lotus decorative patterns, and therefore famous outside. In recent years, the relevant departments of the province and the city has been the front of the stage as "the birthplace of Chinese lotus culture", to the community to promote the characteristics of tourism, the provincial government in 2003 announced the front of the stage for the province's first batch of famous historical and cultural towns.

Guangchang white lotus is famous for its white color, big grain, sweet and fragrant taste, easy to stew, clear soup and meat, rich nutrition and high medicinal value, which has unique medicinal and health care value, and is the traditional nourishing health food. Li Shizhen in the "Compendium of Materia Medica" said: "Lotus to Yuzhang Runan good." It is rumored that Guangchang white lotus was developed from red lotus with skin and heart. Lotus seeds have astringent flavor when they have seed skin, and bitter flavor when they have a hidden turquoise lotus core inside. A wise and skillful daughter-in-law called Qiaolian invented the technology of processing white lotus with through-core in order to cure her ailing mother-in-law, and thus was praised by the people of the current generation. It is understood that Guangchang white lotus traditional processing technology since the origin of the Sui and Tang dynasties, through the inheritance and development of the descendants, and gradually formed a traditional folk skills with strong local characteristics. Guangchang white lotus traditional processing technology mainly includes picking, threshing, shelling, rinsing, through the core, baking and so on more than a dozen handmade procedures, each process has a strict precepts and requirements, if mastered poorly, the processing of through the core of the white lotus color and lustre is difficult to see, the flavor is not good, the quality of the deterioration. Especially this process of baking, fire control is very critical, the need for experienced lotus farmers to teach, teacher lineage. To master this set of traditional processing technology, must have long-term production experience. In Guangchang, due to the long history of white lotus cultivation, farmers from childhood by this traditional processing technology, so most of them can master a set of traditional planting and processing technology, so the production and processing of the through the core of the white lotus are with the unique flavor of the origin of the Guangchang white lotus. The Guangchang white lotus planted in other areas, in terms of fertility, number of flowers, yield, protein content, "lotus squint" and "oxidized Huangxinshuning alkali" content, etc. are obviously inferior to the origin of Guangchang, the flavor is even worse than the origin. Therefore, Guangchang white lotus compared with other varieties of lotus, indeed has its own unique features, is a very local characteristics of the species.

In the early years of the founding of the country, the production area of white lotus in Guangchang County is only 3627 acres, mainly distributed in the townships of Yizhen, Chishui, Toupi, Shui Nan and so on. In the 1970s, the county carried out the selection of new varieties of white lotus and white lotus seed autumn sowing breeding test, selection and promotion of "Guanglian 1" new varieties of white lotus, promoting the development of the white lotus in Guangchang. 1984, Guangchang set up the country's first scientific research institute of the white lotus, the selection of new varieties of white lotus, cultivation techniques, pest control and comprehensive utilization of comprehensive and systematic research and development of new varieties of white lotus. In 1984, Guangchang set up the first scientific research institute of white lotus in China, which conducted comprehensive and systematic research on the selection and breeding of new white lotus varieties, cultivation technology, disease and pest control, and comprehensive utilization, and successfully cultivated new varieties of white lotus, such as "Ganlian 85-4", "Ganlian 85-5", "Ganlian 62", etc., which were widely popularized in 16 townships in Guangchang County in 1980s. In the 80's, Guangchang White Lotus got big development, the planting area developed from about 10,000 acres to about 80,000 acres in the early stage, and the output value reached more than 120 million Yuan, which became the pillar industry of Guangchang County economy. Into the 90's, Guangchang White Lotus Scientific Research Institute and the Chinese Academy of Sciences Institute of Genetics cooperation, to carry out the white lotus aerospace mutation breeding research, and successfully cultivated the "space lotus" series of varieties. The "Space Lotus" series of varieties has a long fertility period, more flowers, large fluff, large grains, high fruitfulness, high yield, good quality and other characteristics, is currently the most excellent new varieties of water lily. At the same time with high protein, low fat, amino acid content rich quality characteristics, its crude protein than conventional varieties 2-3 percentage points higher. Guangchang vigorously promote this new variety, the establishment of 10,000 acres of white lotus pollution-free production demonstration base, more than 200 white lotus production of professional villages, 11 white lotus green food standardized production demonstration bases, the formation of hundreds of miles of white lotus belt, the current white lotus planting area of 130,000 acres, of which the space lotus planting rate of more than 98%, with a total annual output of 10 million kilograms, becoming the country's largest white lotus producing areas. In the national white lotus producing areas, more than 1 million acres of white lotus has been 80% cited Guangchang space lotus.

In order to enhance the competitiveness of the white lotus brand, in 2001 the county registered the "Guangchang white lotus" generic trademark, in 2004 declared the "Guangchang white lotus" geographical indications for product protection. 2008 May, the Guangchang white lotus to obtain the A-class green food and "Chinese brand-name agricultural products In May 2008, Guangchang White Lotus was awarded the honorary title of Grade A Green Food and "China Famous Brand Agricultural Product". 2006, Guangchang White Lotus standardized production base for green food was created, and at the end of the year, Guangchang White Lotus was assessed by the National Acceptance Group of Standardized Production Base for Green Food Raw Materials, and passed the acceptance with a high score of 97 points, and the quality standard of Guangchang White Lotus became the national standard for White Lotus and was formally promulgated and implemented in the whole country. A series of brand building provides strong competitiveness for Guangchang white lotus.

In June 2008, Guangchang white lotus production techniques and customs were listed in the second batch of provincial intangible cultural heritage in Jiangxi Province

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