Special Local Products of Tianzhu Mountain – Introduction to Tianzhu Mountain Specialties

It serves as both edible vegetable and medicinal herb. Sweet and slightly cold in nature, it clears heat, promotes diuresis and calms the nerves. It delivers remarkable curative effects on hypertension, rheumatic joint pain, eczema, jaundice and other skin disorders.

Every August and September, tourists visiting Tianzhu Mountain can see vendors carrying loads of lotus roots all over Qianshan County. The baskets are filled with plump, white tender lotus roots – thick ones as big as human arms, some reaching three to four chi in length, boasting a fresh, sweet, crisp and tender taste. This is the renowned local specialty of Qianshan: Snow Lake Tribute Lotus Root.

Snow Lake lotus roots feature a plump, pale white appearance with sweet, crisp, tender flesh rich in various vitamins. It offers distinct flavors when eaten raw versus stir-fried, making it an ideal gift for relatives and friends.

Tianzhu Mountain boasts magnificent jagged peaks shrouded in drifting mist and clouds. Abundant rainfall and vertically varied climate create ideal growing conditions for medicinal plants. Hundreds of Chinese herbal medicines thrive here, including stone mushrooms, coptis, atractylodes, fritillary, codonopsis, fleece-flower root, gastrodia elata, pinellia and perilla.

Among them, Tianzhu Ganoderma lucidum resembles mushrooms; large specimens are comparable to ginseng with concentric rings on the surface. Growing on cliff walls atop lofty peaks, they are extremely hard to harvest. Those with pure reddish-brown vermilion color are top-grade, effective in treating neurasthenia, hematemesis and other ailments.

Wild Tianzhu Atractylodes is also widely famous. It invigorates the spleen and replenishes qi, and can cure spleen-deficiency diarrhea, edema, phlegm retention and related illnesses.

Anhui Province produces numerous famous teas, ranking second nationwide in tea output. Tianzhu Sunny Snow Tea, a newly developed tea from Qianshan, is a rising star among Anhui’s fine teas and highly praised by tourists.

It combines the long-lasting brewing resistance of Huangshan Maofeng and the rich mellow fragrance of Liuan Guapian. Once brewed, the tea liquor appears clear and emerald green. Its straight tender tea shoots are fully covered with fine white silvery hairs, earning it the elegant name "Tianzhu Sunny Snow".