Introduction to Yulin Specialties

Yulin jujube is a renowned traditional specialty of Shaanxi, famous at home and abroad. It features large fruit with small pits, thin skin and thick flesh, crisp texture and long pulp fibers. The fruit is juicy, sweet and mellow with high sugar content. Bright red in color and low in moisture, it enjoys a long shelf life and superior overall quality. As an old saying goes, Its sweetness outlasts rock honey; its red hue surpasses cherry blossoms. It excels in appearance, aroma, taste and shape.

The average weight of a single fruit is 12.6 grams, and the largest one can reach 35 grams. Fresh jujubes contain 43.48% soluble sugar, 40.82% reducing sugar and 2.53% sucrose. The ratio of pit to flesh is 0.5 : 2.5, and the rate of high-quality fruits exceeds 90%. It won high praise at the appraisal meeting for Records of Chinese Jujube Trees.

Yulin potatoes enjoy a great reputation across Shaanxi Province. Known as the Hometown of Potatoes, Yulin grows potatoes in all its counties and cities. The produce from six southern counties — Jiaxian, Qingjian, Suide, Zizhou, Hengshan and Jingbian — stands out for its premium quality and nationwide fame. The annual output of the whole region exceeds 1.5 billion kilograms.

Two main varieties are cultivated: red-skinned and white-skinned potatoes. They have strong disease resistance and high yield. With smooth, attractive skin, large size and plump flesh, the potatoes have fine texture and rich nutrients. Their starch content is 2% higher than that of potatoes from other regions. Durable in storage and transportation, they are ideal for both direct consumption and deep processing. Ranking among the top potato varieties nationwide, they are widely favored by potato-growing areas.

Endowed with superior geographical and climatic conditions ideal for mung bean growth, Yulin produces high-quality large-grain mung beans. Uniform in size and appealing in color, they are well-known products in domestic and overseas markets. These beans have no fine hairs and hard grains, with a 1000-kernel weight ranging from 6.6 to 7.6 grams. They are a top choice for direct eating and sprouting.

The breeding of Hengshan Cashmere Goats started in 1979. Breeders introduced Liaoning White Cashmere Goats as sires and local Northern Shaanxi Black Goats as dams. Through crossbreeding, interbreeding and selective breeding targeting higher cashmere yield, a new fine white cashmere goat breed was developed. It boasts high cashmere output, long and slender cashmere fibers, stable hereditary traits and strong adaptability.

Physical characteristics: The whole body is covered with mixed white hair and cashmere with a silvery sheen. The goats have a medium-sized, sturdy and compact build, a small delicate head, and long hair on the forehead. Both rams and ewes have twisted horns and beards under the jaw. They feature a broad thick neck, well-connected neck and shoulders, deep chest and straight back. Their limbs are sturdy with tough hooves, and the thin short tails tilt upward. Ewes have well-developed udders with properly sized nipples. Rams have large heads, thick necks, compact bellies and fully developed testicles.

There is a popular folk ballad in the buckwheat-producing Loess Plateau of Yulin: "With pearl-like blossoms on the head,

Dressed in purple silk spread;

Growing two to three months on the land,

Harvested when frosts come to stand."

The vivid lines depict the growth features of buckwheat in a lively way.

The crabapple tree is a traditional local fruit tree and a rare species worldwide. The fruit has bright color, a pleasant sweet-and-sour taste and abundant nutrients. It ranks first among all fruits in calcium content, earning it the title of Calcium King. It helps invigorate the spleen and stomach, boost appetite and improve digestion.

At present, the county has 15,067 mu of crabapple orchards, with 200,000 fruit-bearing trees yielding 1,500 to 2,000 tons of fresh fruit annually. A variety of natural green foods processed from crabapple fruits — including beverages, preserved fruits, canned food, hawthorn rolls, dried crabapples, fruit wine and sugar-coated haws — are sold in more than ten provinces and cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Guiyang, Xi'an and Zhejiang, generating an annual revenue of over one million yuan.