Map of the main growing regions of Chinese cabbage in China

Napa cabbage, also known as “heading cabbage”, “yellow sprout cabbage” or “hearting cabbage”, etc., is a native and specialty vegetable of China, widely cultivated throughout the country, with North China as the main producing area, and its cultivation area and consumption rank first among all kinds of vegetables. In the north, napa cabbage is called the “householder's vegetable” and “half-year vegetable”, and it has now been introduced and planted in various parts of the world. In Japan, napa cabbage is called “Tang people's vegetable” and “Shandong vegetable”; in Europe and America, some people call napa cabbage “Chinese cabbage”.

Geographical indication products for Chinese cabbage in China include: Yanqi Chinese cabbage, Yutian Baojian cabbage, Wulong high-mountain cabbage, Lixian Chinese cabbage, Jiaozhou Chinese cabbage, Tangwang Daokou Chinese cabbage, Beijing yellow sprout cabbage, Tianjin Maganqing, etc.

Nowadays, Chinese cabbage has become smaller in size, better in taste, richer in nutrition, and more diverse in form. Chinese cabbage is no longer just white stalks with green leaves; purple, yellow and orange-red varieties, and Chinese cabbages of various shapes and colors, have gradually made their way onto urban dining tables, and can even be used for ornamental purposes.