Guide to Local Specialties of Yunmeng Mountain, Hebi

Originating from the late Sui Dynasty, these toys have a history of more than 1,200 years. There is a wide variety of clay toys featuring delicate craftsmanship, ingenious designs, lifelike images and distinctive shapes with strong rural and historical characteristics. The ancient temple fairs held in the first and eighth lunar months every year become a prime trading season, with thousands of vendor stalls set up. The most celebrated works are created by Master Clay Monkey Zhang, a renowned folk craftsman.

Muyu stone boasts fine texture and clear grain resembling timber, hence also known as wood-grain stone. It is a rare precious stone found across the globe. Health-care wares made of Muyu stone are hand-carved with traditional techniques and specially processed. They integrate ornamental value, health benefits and collection value, making them elegant gifts for relatives and friends to maintain friendship.

Dahu Yellow Rice Wine is produced in Hebi, hometown of Yidi, the ancestor of wine brewing, with a long history. Brewed strictly following seasonal changes throughout the year while conforming to natural rhythms, it preserves ancient traditional brewing techniques. The wine contains 18 kinds of amino acids, including 8 essential amino acids that the human body cannot synthesize on its own. It is highly nutritious and can promote blood circulation, relax tendons and meridians, improve digestion, warm the spleen, invigorate the stomach, and relieve swelling and pain. It is a premium choice for disease prevention, health preservation, respecting elders and presenting to guests.

Yellow River Clay Pottery is handmade from special pottery clay. It combines traditional and modern art with exquisite painting and carving skills. The wares feature simple yet elegant shapes and fine texture, enjoying high ornamental and collection value. They are ideal presents for family and friends.

Seedless jujubes grow in the hilly areas of Qi County. The fruit is cylindrical with a narrow middle section, measuring 2.5 to 3 centimetres long and weighing roughly 5 grams apiece. The peel is reddish brown, and the flesh is yellowish white with pure sweetness free of sourness, reaching a sugar content of 58.4%. Fresh jujubes taste crisp and sweet with a unique fragrance, nourishing the spleen and moistening the lungs. Dried ones are chewy, sweet and mellow with golden filaments visible when cut open. The spindle-shaped pit is soft and edible together with the flesh, hence the name "seedless jujube". It is formally named "soft-pit honey jujube" in Chinese Pomology.