Local Specialties of Shangrao

The Wuyuan Heyuan Red Common Carp has bright scarlet scales and a body shaped like a cloth purse. It boasts tender flesh and is a superior national freshwater fish breed.

According to legend, a native official from Wuyuan retired from the imperial court long ago. The emperor presented him with a pair of these red carps caught from the imperial garden pond as a souvenir. After returning home, the official built a large pond to raise them, and the fish have thrived and multiplied ever since.

The tea leaves are emerald green with a rich, lasting aroma. Lu Yu recorded this tea in The Classic of Tea as early as the Tang Dynasty. Wuyuan Mingmei is the finest grade of Wuyuan green tea. Its curled tea buds resemble slender eyebrows, tightly twisted and covered with silvery fine hairs, delivering a fresh, brisk and mellow sweet flavour.

Famous for ringing like bronze, appearing dark as iron, possessing firm yet smooth texture, and holding ink well. Research on She Inkstones, written by Xu Yi during the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty, records that inkstone stone originated from Dragon Tail Mountain in Wuyuan, Jiangxi Province. Inkstone quarries were found in She County, Qimen and Wuyuan, among which the stone from Wuyuan was of the finest quality.

Excerpt from Su Shi’s Inscription on Kong Yifu’s Dragon Tail Inkstone:

This pear features large size, thick flesh, thin peel and tiny core. Crisp, sweet and juicy, it leaves no residue when eaten.

It is produced on mountains over 1,000 metres above sea level in northern Sanqing Mountain, shrouded in mist all year round with a unique growing environment. The oil has a bright golden colour and strong natural fragrance, purely pollution-free. Safflower oil trees yield 40% more oil than white camellia varieties. Rich in various amino acids, it nourishes the brain, strengthens the body, and effectively prevents cardiovascular diseases and obesity.

Grown around Peimei Town in Wannian County. In 1512 (the 7th year of the Zhengde reign of the Ming Dynasty), it was presented as imperial tribute. The emperor highly praised its taste and issued an imperial edict ordering local farmers to grow it every year for royal tributes, hence the name “tribute rice”. Three grains measure one inch long; the slender grains are glossy, fragrant, glutinous yet not greasy, with high protein content and outstanding nutrition. It was exhibited at the Bandung Expo in Indonesia in 1958 and won wide acclaim. It was selected as the staple rice for the Lushan Conference in 1959.

Raised among folk families in Wuyuan. The fish has golden-red scales, a small head, short tail, high back and plump belly shaped like a purse. It is a famous premium freshwater fish in China with a documented breeding history of more than 300 years in Huizhou Prefecture Records. Apart from tender, nourishing meat, it also has medicinal value.

Known in ancient texts as “remnant sashimi fish”. It lives along the shore of Poyang Lake in Poyang and Yugan counties. The fish is slender and silvery, shimmering under water. After being sun-dried, it turns snow-white and translucent. The most precious breed is the tiny red-eyed “embroidery needle” whitebait from Meigang in Yugan. As a top-grade freshwater delicacy, whitebait has tender, cool flesh and exquisite flavour packed with high-quality protein, ranking first among lake seafood for banquets. Medicinally, it invigorates the spleen, moisturizes the lungs, tonifies the kidneys, relieves debility and nourishes yin.

A premium carnivorous freshwater fish living around Poyang Lake, the Rao River and the Xin River. It has extremely tender, delicious flesh with almost no small bones, carrying a delicate flavour just like sea fish.

Four main categories: pearl powder, cosmetics, food items and handicrafts.

Grown in Wuyuan County with a long history. Lu Yu wrote in The Classic of Tea in the Tang Dynasty that “Shezhou tea grows in mountain valleys of Wuyuan”. It became imperial tribute in the Ming and Qing dynasties. During the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty, Wuyuan green tea was exported overseas and became a daily essential for British nobles. It earned international fame for three merits: naturally emerald liquor, rich fragrance, and clear, thick tea broth. In 1915, it won a gold medal at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco. It was named one of China’s Famous Teas in 1982. Major varieties include Mingmei, Maojian, Yuncui, Xianzhi, Lingyan Sword Peak and special supply tea. Dazhang Mountain Tea has long been reserved as special tea for central authorities for its strong aroma, emerald liquor, rich taste and thick tea broth.

Produced in Zhouwu Village, Zunqiao Township, Shangrao County. The stout tea buds are fully covered with fine white hairs, resembling the white eyebrows of an elderly immortal, thus the name. It is graded into Silver Hair, Maojian and Green Peak. Once brewed, it releases a lasting aroma with a pure, refreshing taste. It won the gold medal at the National Agricultural Expo in 1995 and was designated a state special supply product, selling well across domestic and overseas markets.

It grows in rocky cliff crevices above 800 metres on Lingshan Mountain in Shangrao County, making it one of the rare tree species on the mountain. The tea plant has tall trunks and round, thick dark green leaves. It delivers a unique mixed taste of slight sourness, saltiness, bitterness and astringency, followed by a cool soothing sensation down the throat. It promotes fluid production, clears internal heat and toxins, and relieves summer heat, making it an effective remedy for dry cough and sore throat inflammation