Autumn's Sweetest Delight: A Journey of Fruitful Bliss Across China

Today is Shuangjiang, the last solar term of autumn, and the "golden age" of persimmons.

"Walnuts are harvested at Bailu, and persimmons are picked at Shuangjiang." Persimmons, like scattered red lanterns, paint a vibrant red and golden hue across the nation, from Guangxi to Shaanxi, and from Jiangsu-Zhejiang-Shanghai to Yunnan-Guizhou-Sichuan.

Fresh persimmons, plump and juicy, transform into sugar-coated dried persimmons, becoming little honey pots so sweet they could make your teeth ache, sweetening much of China as winter approaches.

At the Shangshan site in Pujiang, Zhejiang, dating back 10,000 years, persimmon seeds were unearthed. For millennia, Chinese winters have been inseparable from persimmons. China is the origin of persimmons, and over history, they spread nationwide. Warring States period persimmon seeds have been found in Jingmen, Hubei, and Xinyang, Henan. Due to their sweetness, Chinese began cultivating persimmons early, with records indicating cultivation first in Sichuan and Hubei over 2,000 years ago.

A thousand years of cultivation have given China nearly 1,000 persimmon varieties. The Song Dynasty's "Mengliang Lu·Fruits" notes multiple varieties in Hangzhou, such as "square-top, ox-heart, red, small, milk, water, fire-bead, eaves, and flour persimmons." By 1988, the draft of "China Fruit Records·Persimmon Volume" documented 952 varieties.

People love eating them for their pure sweetness, admire them for their red-and-gold beauty, and enjoy wordplay with them: "persimmon-perfect" (everything goes well), "joy-persimmon" (continuous happiness), "wish-persimmon" (dreams come true), "good-persimmon-pair" (double blessings), and "all-persimmon-luck" (great fortune). This is Chinese life philosophy and the sweet aesthetics of persimmons.

Red, yellow, green; round, oblong, square... Persimmons are truly the "Chinese fruit" and "Chinese flavor."

The largest persimmon-producing region is actually in the south?

Take 3 seconds to think: Do you associate persimmons more with the north or the south?

Reality might surprise you.

While northern provinces like Henan, Hebei, Shanxi, and Shaanxi are major persimmon-growing areas, the largest producer is in the south.

In 2019, China's persimmon output reached 3.29 million tons, with Guangxi alone producing 1.1 million tons, ranking first nationally.

Guangxi's main persimmon-growing areas are Gongcheng, Pingle, and Yangshuo, cultivating varieties like moon persimmons, sweet persimmons, and ox-heart persimmons, with moon persimmons being the most famous. Fresh moon persimmons are crisp and sweet, while dried ones are tender and honey-like. Gongcheng is known as the "Hometown of Chinese Moon Persimmons." It's said that in winter 1923, Sun Yat-sen praised Gongcheng moon persimmons after tasting them in Humen, Guangdong.

True to its name, fresh moon persimmons are round, and dried ones resemble full moons. Making these premium dried persimmons requires meticulous effort.

After peeling, the round persimmons are arranged on wooden racks to bask in the sun. Once they soften and turn golden, the skilled handwork begins.

The masters are "massage" experts—too light, and the pressing is insufficient; too hard, and they break. Just the right pressure creates the perfect "moon persimmon."

Neighboring Yunnan's output pales compared to Guangxi, but its geography and climate allow some persimmons to ripen earlier.

Typically, persimmons mature from October to November, as the saying goes. However, Yunnan's early-ripening varieties can be ready by August or September, among China's earliest.

Shilin Yi Autonomous County in Kunming has a low-latitude plateau monsoon climate, enabling its sweet persimmons to ripen 30+ days earlier than those in Shaanxi or Hebei.

Baoshan sweet persimmons are another Yunnan specialty, available fresh from late August to early November—a rarity for most regions. They also naturally lose astringency on the tree, making them the most "considerate" persimmons.

In Yunnan, there is a particularly "petite" variety of persimmon known as the Lanping Yantou small persimmon from the Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture. About the size of a loquat, it may be small but packs a punch—seedless, plump, and incredibly sweet, locally nicknamed "sugar cane." Not only delicious, it also emits a delicate fragrance, earning it another local name: "little clove."

Zhejiang Persimmons: A 10,000-Year-Old Chinese Flavor

Though Zhejiang’s persimmons are neither as abundant as Guangxi’s nor as early-ripening as Yunnan’s, we can confidently say that persimmons are a native "Chinese fruit," and Zhejiang played a pivotal role in this.

According to archaeological findings, wild persimmon seeds unearthed at the Shangshan site in Pujiang, Zhejiang, date back 10,000 years, indicating they were already gathered and eaten by ancient people.

At the Liangzhu Cultural Site in Yuhang, Zhejiang, a fragment of a persimmon was discovered, revealing that 4,000–5,000 years ago, persimmons were already a key fruit in the diet of the Liangzhu ancestors.

Beyond that, Zhejiang’s persimmons seem to carry an air of "nobility."

As early as the Song Dynasty, the Yongkang Fangshan persimmon was listed as a tribute. When fully ripe, its flesh turns fluid, allowing it to be slurped like jelly, similar to the Lintong Huojing persimmon. The Quzhou Dongping red persimmon, large and sweet, was also a royal tribute during the Ming and Qing dynasties.

Lanxi is Zhejiang’s largest local persimmon producer, where the big red persimmons can weigh over 150g each. The trees themselves are towering, reaching up to 15 meters, forming vast, picturesque groves. Hangzhou’s Linpu Fangding persimmon is even larger, sometimes weighing half a pound each, with ancient trees over 500 years old, now considered a local treasure.

Across the broader southern region, in Fujian’s Shaxian (home of "Shaxian snacks"), the Zhengshui persimmon is a nationally protected geographic product for its superior quality. In Quanzhou, the fragrant and glutinous Anxi dried persimmon, called "persimmon fruit," pairs perfectly with Anxi Tieguanyin tea. In Guangdong’s Pingyuan, sun-drying persimmons is called "drying persimmon flowers," a sweet local industry. In Hubei, the Luotian sweet persimmon, with few seeds and intense sweetness, is a must-try—it’s one of China’s original sweet persimmon varieties.

In the south, Guangxi dominates persimmon production, while in the north, persimmons flourish everywhere: Hebei, Henan, Shandong, Shanxi, and Shaanxi are key northern production hubs.

In the bleak depths of winter, clusters of red and yellow persimmons dot the mountains, adding a sweet splash of color to the cold northern landscape—persimmons are a fruit with strong northern character.

In the frigid northern winter, if candied hawthorns evoke tangy memories, sugar-frosted dried persimmons deliver a 100% sweet knockout.

Beijing and Hebei: The Realm of the Millstone Persimmon

The millstone persimmon gets its vivid name from the distinct waist-like indentation dividing it into upper and lower halves, resembling a millstone.

Mancheng, Hebei, is the "Hometown of China’s Millstone Persimmon." Here, the persimmons are large and sweet, averaging half a pound each. Beyond fresh eating and drying, they’re used to brew wine, make vinegar, or pressed into juice.

Between Mancheng’s Shenxing Town and Shijing Township lies an ecological persimmon valley, where 160,000 trees stretch over 18 kilometers, creating a spectacular sight.

Near the foothills of the Yan Mountains in Zunhua, the unique microclimate yields vibrant, juicy millstone persimmons, earning them the nickname "Yan Mountain Red Persimmons."

In Beijing’s Fangshan, millstone persimmons are a local specialty. Beijingers adore them, especially in autumn and winter. In the old days, street vendors would cry, "Honeyed—big persimmons!" Biting into one is like sipping pure sweetness.

Millstone persimmons hang heavy on branches in Zhangfang, Fangshan, Beijing.

Along Hebei’s Taihang Mountains, persimmons are widely grown—not just delicious but also a scenic highlight.

Shexian Dahongpao persimmons, also known as Mandihong or Mianshi, are sweet and delicious when dried and ground into flour mixed with coarse grains, making them a staple food. When Fushan Mianshi persimmons are made into dried persimmons, their sugar content can reach up to 25%. The saying "Fushan persimmons surpass sugar" is indeed true.

Even Lu Xun praised Henan’s persimmons.

The Northern Wei dynasty’s *Essential Techniques for the Welfare of the People* records: "Yellow persimmons come from the Luozhou region," which includes Xingyang.

Since the Qin and Han dynasties, the Yellow River basin where Xingyang, Henan, is located has been an important production area for Chinese persimmons. A local saying goes, "Heyin pomegranates, Dangshan pears, Xingyang persimmons sweet as honey."

The recently popular Xingyang Rose Honey Persimmon, "red box, green cover, open it up, take a bite," can be easily "drunk" through a straw.

Another Xingyang persimmon specialty is even more magical: persimmon frost candy.

During the process of drying persimmons into cakes, a white frost forms on the surface, called persimmon frost. Collecting and processing this frost yields persimmon frost candy, a technique recognized as part of Henan’s intangible cultural heritage and praised by Lu Xun.

Lu Xun wrote in *Diary of a Madman*: "It tastes cool and delicate, truly a good thing... Jing Song (Lu Xun’s wife, Xu Guangping) said this is a famous product from a place in Henan, made from persimmon frost; it’s cooling, and if you have minor sores on the corners of your mouth, applying it will heal them."

Mianchi County in Henan is famous for its Oxheart persimmons, named for their heart-like shape with a nipple-like protrusion at the top (facepalm). Picking one up is like holding "the shape of love."

Oxheart persimmons are not only heart-shaped but also have a temperament as intricate as "thoughts."

As an astringent persimmon, Oxheart persimmons differ from sweet persimmons that can be eaten immediately. To enjoy their flavor, one must endure the tedious de-astringency process and a long wait. Their wonder lies in the dried persimmons made from them, which can be stirred in cold water to dissolve into a sweet, non-greasy paste comparable to honey.

Shaanxi’s chosen persimmons are hung to dry into cakes.

Shaanxi’s persimmons have become "celebrities in the persimmon world," with Fuping dried persimmons and Lintong Huojing persimmons as the two star varieties.

Fuping pointed persimmons, the "excellent" predecessors of dried persimmons, have orange-red skin, are seedless, juicy, tender, and exceptionally sweet.

Achieving Fuping dried persimmons’ moist, syrupy center requires the step of "kneading the heart." This involves skilled artisans squeezing and massaging each persimmon during drying to promote softening.

Fuping dried persimmons, having endured "hanging," "stacking," and "kneading," boast thick white frost, glossy bottoms, soft and sticky texture, and a sweet flavor. When torn open, their crimson flesh glistens and oozes out slowly.

Life’s sweetest moments can’t surpass this.

Did Fuping locals drink sugar-frost-infused water as children for sore throats? Shaanxi locals also stuff walnuts into dried persimmons for double the deliciousness.

In Lintong, Shaanxi, persimmons with flame-like brilliance and crystal-clear skin can only be called "Huojing persimmons."

Huojing persimmons can not only be sucked like Zhang Xiaojing did but are also enjoyed in various creative ways by the Guanzhong people.

Along with sugar and flour, it encases ingredients like walnuts, osmanthus, roses, and red bean paste, then is deep-fried in hot oil. The fried persimmon cake turns golden on both sides, with a soft, fragrant filling. Fresh out of the pan, the hot persimmon cake is first gently pried open with chopsticks to reveal the walnut and sesame filling inside. After savoring it slowly, if the sweetness becomes too cloying, one can take a bite of the crispy outer layer to balance it.

Every autumn, long queues of eager customers crowd in front of persimmon cake stalls at the Muslim Quarter near Xi'an's Bell and Drum Towers.

In Gansu, persimmons are treasures inside and out.

Persimmons are typically eaten fresh or dried into cakes, but in the eyes of Gansu locals, every part of the fruit becomes a delicacy.

Zhouqu is known as the "Tibetan Jiangnan," home to numerous persimmon trees decades or even centuries old, making it a key persimmon-producing region in Gansu.

Persimmons that cannot be hung are sun-dried into "persimmon flakes," while those hung up become "dried persimmons." Surprisingly, the peeled skins are sun-dried into "persimmon peels," which can be eaten directly or roasted, ground, and mixed with sugar to make "cooked flour."

There’s also the most authentic method: making "Zhouqu wine persimmons."

Tibetans ferment persimmons with homemade barley wine, layering them in jars before sealing them with oilcloth. After fermentation, the persimmons absorb the wine's aroma and turn from golden to purplish-blue.

"Wine persimmons" are not just tasty but also a way of life. When children play outside and get frostbitten, Zhouqu locals joke, "This kid’s face is as red as a wine persimmon."

In northern winters, persimmons are one of the starring local fruits.

Shandong's "Mirror Persimmons" often appear not as fresh fruit but as "Caozhou Geng Cakes." The miraculous feature of Shanxi's Puzhou green persimmons is that when dried and split open, they can stretch over a foot-long oily thread. A green persimmon cake placed in a bowl dissolves into sweet soup when steeped in strong tea.

Persimmons have become the indispensable sweetness of northern winters.

China is a persimmon powerhouse, having eaten them since 10,000 years ago. Today, it leads the world in persimmon cultivation area and annual production.

Once regarded as hunger-relieving staples—dubbed "ironclad crops" or "woody grains"—they are now more than just fruit, transforming into cakes, jams, teas, juices, wines, and vinegars, adding sweetness and flavor to life.

Map Editors | Sun Lu, Liu Yunshuo