中国范儿153 水果的自白：我的家乡在中国
水果的自白：我的家乡在中国
"My People My Homeland" released on China’s national day has raked in 1.8 billion yuan in just eight days, smashing box office records. In the golden autumn season, the fragrance of fruits reminds people of home and haunts their memories. Many fruits from China are telling stories of their hometown.
"Tangerine is called Ju in the south of Huai River Huai and Zhi in the north of Huai River. This sentence is part of an essay written in the late Warring States Period. According to historical records, "orange officers" existed in China since the Han Dynasty and were tasked with the management of orange orchards and public fields. Du Fu, a famous poet, once worked as an orange officer in Kuizhou (now Fengjie area of Chongqing) for nearly two years, initiating more than 430 excellent projects there. According to research, it was not until 1471 AD that tangerines, oranges, mandarin oranges and other citrus fruit trees were introduced to Lisbon, Portugal. Even now, oranges are known as "Chinese apples" in Holland and Germany.
"Persimmon" is a homonym for "generation" and "event" in Mandarin. Ancient Chinese often understand it to denote happiness and auspiciousness with meanings such as "four generations at the same time" and "everything goes well". According to historical records, persimmon originated from the Yangtze River Basin and southwest China, where it has been cultivated for more than 3,000 years. The Japanese love persimmons and set up the world's earliest persimmon Museum in Yoshino City. However, persimmon trees were introduced to Japan from China in the Tang Dynasty and persimmon species were introduced from eastern countries in 1863 to the United States.
Kiwi fruit is not as lucky as tangerines and persimmons and its identity and nationality is often mistaken. In 1904, kiwi fruit was brought to New Zealand by Isabel, a teacher who returned from visiting relatives in China. After experimenting with several methods, the kiwi fruit was finally planted successfully. It got its name because of its hairy appearance and color which resembled a kiwi, the national bird of New Zealand. But as early as 1,200 years ago, Cen Shen, a great Chinese poet mentioned about the kiwi fruit in his poem: "There is a kiwi at the end of the courtyard well. Rice made by Shiquan spring is fragrant and the wine jar has a new slot. " At the international kiwi fruit conference held in 2008, more than 200 experts from 19 countries all over the world agreed that the origin of kiwi fruit was in Yichang City, Hubei Province, China.
China has a vast territory and abundant resources. It’s the land of Xinjiang Hami melon, Gansu ginseng fruit, Zhejiang bayberry, Yangtze River Delta peach and Lingnan litchi. Growing year after year, the fruits flower in spring and bear produce in autumn. With their bright hues and rich aroma, they capture the essence of where they are grown. No matter what soil they grow in, what kinds of wind and frost they are exposed to and whether they grow in their hometown or in an alien land, their fragrance remains the same, their sweet and sour taste intact. Each flavour is tinged with nostalgia, recalling with each bite, the memory of time gone by.