Century-old pomelo trees in Longtan Village, Liangping, Chongqing: fragrant blossoms drift for ten li, and the fruit is sweet
In August, Longtan Village is filled with the scene of a bountiful harvest, and large patches of pomelos that have already turned yellow are about to ripen.
In Liangping County, Chongqing, there is a 3500-mu pomelo grove 7 kilometers from the county seat. Deep within the grove lies Longtan Village in Hexing Town. In Longtan Village, there are many old pomelo trees over a hundred years old. This is an important production area for Liangping pomelo, one of China's three famous pomelos.
“Growing pomelos, picking pomelos, and making money from pomelos was something villagers did not think much of before.” said Xu Yinhua, deputy secretary of the village Party branch. “Pomelos were hard to sell, only a few fen per jin. Many families even cut down old pomelo trees and switched to growing corn. Now it is different. Liangping pomelo has made a name for itself, and many pomelos are bought up while still on the trees. Many city people also drive to the village, enjoy the pomelos, and then simply buy up all the fruit on that tree.”
The fresh fragrance of pomelo blossoms and the sweet pomelos attract wave after wave of city people to this deep pomelo grove. Seeing the growing popularity, the people of Longtan Village put their minds to work: they hold a Pomelo Blossom Festival when the blossoms are fragrant, and a Pomelo Picking Festival when harvesting begins after Frost's Descent.
In April and May, peach blossoms have faded, pear blossoms have faded, and cherry blossoms have faded, but here clusters of white pomelo blossoms like flower balls bloom in full glory across the hills and fields. Unlike ordinary ornamental flowers, pomelo blossoms not only have petals as bright and white as snow, but also a rich and captivating fragrance. A tree of fragrant wind continues for ten li. The fragrance of pomelo blossoms fills the white walls and black tiles of the mountain village and the field paths, and even dances before everyone's face. “Pomelo blossom fragrance smells wonderful and is very good for people too.” villagers say. Li Shizhen's Compendium of Materia Medica records that pomelo blossoms have the effects of promoting the flow of qi, removing phlegm, and relieving pain, and that frequently smelling the fragrance of pomelo blossoms helps refresh the mind and sharpen alertness.
The fragrance of pomelo blossoms has drifted through Liangping for more than 200 years. The generous pomelo grove brings villagers not only layer upon layer of leafy waves and waves of floral fragrance; the sweet pomelos are even more a generous gift the grove gives to the villagers. “This pomelo tree in my family is already over 100 years old. The pomelos from old trees are the sweetest and most fragrant, and last year they sold for a good price.” Looking at the old tree in the courtyard, Aunt Zhou Renbi was quite happy. “My family also has more than 500 pomelo trees. From this alone, we earned quite a lot of money last year.”
What is more, the two “rustic festivals,” the Pomelo Blossom Festival and the Pomelo Picking Festival, are both quite popular. Visitors can enjoy pomelo blossoms, eat pomelos, and also watch intangible cultural heritage performances such as Liangping Taier Diao, Liangshan Lantern Opera, and High Platform Lion Dance. Immersed in the layered green waves and waves of delicate fragrance of the pomelo grove, and looking at the well-arranged village houses with white walls and black tiles, many tourists simply stay and do not leave.
“When a festival is held, there are definitely tens of thousands of tourists who come to smell the fragrance and taste the freshness.” Speaking of the liveliness in the village, Xu Yinhua was also beaming. And as villagers opened agritainment businesses, their income rose by another large margin.
Staying to look around slowly, some tourists made a new discovery: “Your village is run really well, cleaner and tidier than the city.” Indeed, the small village is especially clean and bright. On the main roads and small paths, in the courtyards and squares, not to mention garbage being rarely seen, even fallen leaves are neatly arranged.
“Not to mention tourists praising it, many villagers' thinking has changed too. In the past many people felt it did not matter, but now not only do they consciously keep their own homes clean, many also take the initiative to clean public areas.” Xu Yinhua said. Fragrant pomelo blossoms, sweet pomelos, and days that are clean and peaceful. This Longtan Village deep in the pomelo grove is truly becoming more and more inviting.
Tips
How to get there: by car, exit at the Liangping Expressway toll station and go straight, passing through the Qipima roundabout in the new county seat, the Airport Road, and the Pomelo Garden Scenic Road, arriving in about 20 minutes.
What to eat: pomelo-fragrant eight-treasure rice, pomelo flesh zhenzi soup, pomelo peel pastry, pomelo pastry, and specialty farm dishes.
What to do: the Pomelo Blossom Festival in May, and the Pomelo Picking Festival after Frost's Descent. During both, there are literary and folk performances, specialty agricultural products, and intangible cultural heritage exhibitions.