Where are the persimmon-producing areas in Hebei? An overview of the main producing regions

We all know that persimmons are nutritious and are hailed as the “finest fruit,” with high medicinal value and economic value. After early autumn, the persimmon fruits and leaves are bright and pleasing to the eye, with good ornamental value. In China, persimmons are mainly produced in Hebei, Shandong, Shaanxi and other places, so where are the persimmon-producing areas in Hebei?

1. Where are the persimmon-producing areas in Hebei?

Persimmons in Hebei are mainly produced in Shenxing Town, Mancheng County, Baoding City. The producing area covers about 30 sq km, the Persimmon Valley is 18 km long, there are 160,000 persimmon trees, and the annual output is 15,000 tonnes, accounting for about one third of the total persimmon output of the whole district. The Mopan persimmons produced there are famous at home and abroad for being “large, full of juice and delicious.” In 2001, it was named “China's Home of Mopan Persimmons” by the State Forestry Administration.

2. What are the values of persimmons?

1. Food value

The fruit is often eaten as a fruit after de-astringency treatment. With proper handling, it can be stored for several months. If the freezing method is used, stored at a low temperature of minus 10°C, it can be taken out and eaten at any time throughout the year. Persimmons can also be processed into dried persimmons. In the areas of Yiyang, Yanzhou, Wucun and Heze in Shandong, the huobing and gengbing produced there are both dried persimmons with a white frost; the “huangbing” produced in the areas of Luoyang and Songshan in Shaanxi has a thick persimmon frost. The white frost scraped off dried persimmons can be used as a substitute for white sugar.

2. Medicinal value

In medicine, persimmons can stop bleeding and loosen the bowels, ease the swelling and pain of hemorrhoids, and lower blood pressure. Dried persimmons can nourish the spleen and stomach, and moisten the lungs and stop bleeding. Persimmon frost cakes and persimmon frost can moisten the lungs and promote fluid production, eliminate phlegm and relieve cough, clear stomach heat, sober one up after drinking, and treat mouth sores. Persimmon calyx lowers qi and stops hiccups, and treats hiccups and nocturia.

The famous physician Tao Hongjing mentioned in Mingyi Bielu: “The persimmon fruit is sweet and astringent in nature and flavor, slightly cold, and non-toxic. It has the effects of clearing heat, moistening the lungs, resolving phlegm and stopping cough, and mainly treats cough, heat thirst, vomiting blood and mouth sores.” The Ming dynasty physician Li Shizhen said in Compendium of Materia Medica that “the persimmon is the fruit of the spleen, lungs and blood aspects; its flavor is sweet and its qi is balanced, and its nature is astringent and able to gather, so it has the effects of strengthening the spleen, astringing the intestines, treating cough and stopping bleeding.

3. Ornamental value

In landscaping, persimmon trees have a long lifespan, reaching more than 300 years, with large leaves and dense shade. In late autumn and early winter, the frosted leaves turn red; in winter, after the leaves fall, the persimmon fruits remain deep red and do not drop, and a tree is full of hanging red fruits, adding beautiful scenery. It is an excellent landscape tree.

4. Other values

Persimmons can be used to extract persimmon lacquer (also known as persimmon oil or persimmon tannin), which is used for coating fishing nets and rain gear, filling ship seams, and as a preservative for building materials, etc.

Although persimmons taste sweet and soft, do not eat them on an empty stomach, because eating them on an empty stomach easily causes indigestion. In addition, people with diabetes should not eat too many.