Where Are Persimmons Grown? A Survey of China's Main Producing Regions

The persimmon is a berry-type fruit of the Ebenaceae family. It ripens around October and originated in China, where it is widely distributed and has been cultivated for more than a thousand years. China, Japan, South Korea and Brazil are the main producing areas. At present, China is the world's largest producer of persimmons, with an annual output of 700,000 tons of fresh persimmons.

There are more than 300 varieties of persimmon. By color they can be divided into red persimmon, yellow persimmon, green persimmon, vermilion persimmon, white persimmon and black persimmon; by fruit shape they can be divided into round persimmon, long persimmon, square persimmon, gourd persimmon and ox-heart persimmon.

The Oriental persimmon is the fruit of an important fruit tree widely cultivated in China, mainly in the mountainous areas of Henan, Shanxi, Shaanxi and Hebei. Persimmons were introduced to France and the Mediterranean countries in the 19th century, and later to the United States. The fruit of the persimmon tree is about 5 to 8 cm in diameter and ranges from yellow to red. Persimmons contain vitamin A and a small amount of vitamin C.

Through long-term acclimatization and production practice, people have bred many fine varieties. Particularly famous ones include the Dapan persimmon of North China, known as the “world's finest variety”; the Lianhua persimmon and Jingmian persimmon of Hebei and Shandong; the Jixin yellow persimmon of the Jingyang and Sanyuan areas of Shaanxi; the Jian persimmon of Fuping, Shaanxi; and the Fang persimmon of the Gudang area of Hangzhou, Zhejiang. These are known as China's six famous persimmons.

In addition, the Huojing persimmon of Lintong, Shaanxi, the Lu persimmon of Hua County, the Jianding persimmon of Bin County, the Jinping persimmon of Qingdao, Shandong, and the Da'ezi persimmon of Yidu are all well-known persimmons in China. These famous persimmons have thin skins, fine flesh, large size and honey-sweet juice, and are highly favored by consumers.