Basic Introduction to Pucheng Osmanthus

In northern Fujian, Pucheng, which takes the osmanthus as its county flower, is a “world of golden grains.” This ancient town with a history of osmanthus culture was honored as the “Osmanthus Capital of China” in 2007. The people of this mountain town widely plant osmanthus trees, holding them in high esteem and taking pride in them. Osmanthus belongs to the Oleaceae family and is also known as the wood osmanthus. The climate in Pucheng is suitable for osmanthus trees to absorb heat and moisture, thriving in sunlight. There are various types, including red osmanthus, golden osmanthus, and Silver osmanthus.

North of the city lies an osmanthus garden, where thousands of osmanthus trees grow on tiered slopes. In the ninth lunar month, when you visit to admire the osmanthus, you walk along winding mountain paths. On either side of the road and all over the mountains, you see green branches adorned with white flowers, jade-like twigs dotted with gold, clusters of flowers like brocades, and fragrance floating over the green hills. Standing under the trees, the tiny flowers gather together, pressing against each other, peeking out from the lush green leaves. The golden osmanthus is orange-yellow, the silver osmanthus snow-white, and the red osmanthus bright and vivid, all of which are endearing.

Standing in the garden, the flowers and leaves overlap and reflect each other. Layer upon layer of flowers, their fresh faces smiling redly. When a gentle autumn breeze comes, the osmanthus petals fall gently, like a fine rain of red flowers, landing on the heads, shoulders, and faces of those admiring the osmanthus. It's as if they fall into people's hearts too, leading them into a dreamlike gallery of osmanthus paintings and into the realm of osmanthus. Before your eyes, the golden grains decorate the flowers profusely, making one doubt that they are the spirits of the blossoms… The osmanthus displays the charm of autumn. Ancient people once praised the beauty of the ninth month's osmanthus with phrases such as “osmanthus fragrance moves the mountains of autumn” and “uniquely dominating the three autumns, surpassing all other fragrances.”

The people of Pucheng hold the osmanthus in high regard, revering the osmanthus tree and aspiring to wealth and honor. Ancestors would weave osmanthus wreaths to present to the most honored individuals, symbolizing friendship and respect. During the early years of the Tang Dynasty's Zhenyuan period, there was a beautiful story about a “talented scholar winning the osmanthus crown.” Lin Zao and his younger brother Lin Yun went to the capital for the imperial examinations. When passing through the Wuxian Ridge in Pucheng, they inscribed their names at the pass, vowing victory in the examination hall. In the capital, both brothers indeed passed the imperial examinations. Returning home in splendid attire, they left a poem at the place where they had inscribed their names: “We once wrote our names on the ridge, not returning until we won. Each brother plucked a branch of osmanthus, flying back in tandem to the ridge.” Later generations called this ridge the “Branch-Plucking Ridge.”

Geographical Scope

The geographical indication product protection area for Pucheng osmanthus covers the current administrative region of Pucheng County, Nanping City, Fujian Province.

Nutritional Value

1. Osmanthus Tea has the effects of whitening the skin, expelling toxins from the body, relieving coughs, soothing the lungs, and improving health. Many people find their skin dry or experience hoarseness due to excessive internal heat. Adding a bit of osmanthus to Green Tea or oolong tea can help alleviate these issues.

2. Osmanthus tea is beneficial for bad breath, poor vision, urticaria, duodenal ulcers, cold stomachs, and stomach pain, with the effect of relieving bloating and soothing the stomach. It is particularly suitable for elderly people with weaker stomach functions to drink.

Product Characteristics

Pucheng osmanthus is a traditional specialty agricultural product, renowned for its excellent quality both domestically and internationally. Its flowers are large, thick-petaled, brilliantly colored, sweetly fragrant, and not overly sweet, characterized by “thick petals, bright colors, sweet without being cloying.” Rich in amino acids and essential trace elements, it combines culinary use, Health benefits, and cosmetic properties. The main variety of Pucheng osmanthus is the Pucheng Red Osmanthus, which has excellent ornamental value and an abundant flower yield, making it an ideal choice for harvesting flowers.

History and Folk Customs

Zhang Heng, a native of Pucheng, became the top scholar in the imperial examinations in the second year of Jia You during the Song Dynasty and rose to become a scholar of the Bao Wen Pavilion. He inscribed in “Zi Fu Temple,” “The true likeness of my fifteenth ancestor, his name and title are linked within the Buddhist temple. The starry sky shines brightly with the brilliance of literary talent, and the list of laureates is majestic and unending.” The people of the mountain town plant osmanthus trees, respecting their solemnity and appreciating their elegance. When later generations give birth to children, many include the character “gui” (osmanthus) in their names, hoping for good fortune.

The people of the mountain town love the osmanthus and its aroma. The osmanthus' fragrance is unique, not mingling with the scents of other flowers, as if coming from the moon. Tasting the osmanthus' fragrance, it can cleanse the heart in its purity, penetrate far and wide in its intensity, leaving a lasting aftertaste. Along the roads entering the city, osmanthus trees line the way, competing in beauty and fragrance, filling the city with the scent of osmanthus. The osmanthus' fragrance is enchanting, its purity unmatched, lifting the spirits and refreshing the mind.

Jiang Yan, whose pen could create wonders, left the verse “the osmanthus branch is picked in vain, the stars and rain are startled” in Pucheng. The Southern Song Dynasty's famous general against the Jin, Xie Ao, who stayed in Shuibei Town, wrote: “Wu Gang mourns as the tree splits, the jade axe breaks off the high branches. The Jade Rabbit rides the toad, tears streaming down, the seeds falling from the moon like star rain.”

The osmanthus is the fragrant soul of the moon, while the moon is the jade reflection of the osmanthus! The people of the mountain town love the osmanthus, calling it the “moon osmanthus” and referring to it as the flower of reunion. “A round, bright moon shines, the osmanthus spirit dances gracefully.” During the full moon festival, admiring the osmanthus and the moon becomes a time for family reunions. Under the osmanthus trees, with a full moon overhead, the moon shines thousands of miles, shared by all, and those far from home think, “The moon is always fullest in one's hometown.”

The locals have the custom of “honoring osmanthus wine, freely entering the village.” Everyone back home calls osmanthus the “life-saving flower.” Due to its warm nature and sweet taste, which warms the stomach, calms the liver, benefits the kidneys, and dispels cold, osmanthus in wine is considered a good wine that benefits society. Currently, osmanthus wine is a national brand and a must-have liquor in the osmanthus capital. Everyone back home calls osmanthus the “life-saving flower.”