Tongchuan, also known as the Tonghe River Basin, is a regional name, not an administrative division, located in the southeast of Yuanping City (formerly Chengxian County) in Shanxi Province, and in the north of Dingxiang County, including Dongshe Town, Nanbai Township and Hongdao Town in Dingxiang County. Tongchuan has a long history, and the Sui Dynasty once set up Tongchuan County here, and the county was governed by Chengtou Village, Dongshe Town, Yuanping City, Shanxi Province. Tongchuan is a famous fruit town, and it is also the origin of Tongchuan pear, a famous specialty in Shanxi Province.
Tongchuan is famous throughout the country as the land of pears and fruits, and has the reputation of the land of crispy pears. Tongchuan pear is a famous specialty of Shanxi Province (Tongchuan pear is a general term, subdivided, there are yellow pear, summer pear, oil pear, stupid pear, duck pear, red pear, bottle pear, petal pear, Suzhou pear, crisp pear and other varieties). Locally, there are three hundred-year-old summer pear trees that survived in 2018.
Tongchuan also produces apples, bingo, red fruits, flower fruits, summer fruits, jujubes, jujubes, jujubes, walnuts, apricots, plums, hawthorn and other fruits, dried fruits, sour dates, yuanzhi, scorpions and other Chinese medicinal materials.
Tongchuan pear tree cultivation has a long history, especially the "Tongchuan" pear in the old pear district has been famous for a long time, according to historical records has a history of more than 1,000 years, the famous Tang Dynasty pear tree originated from this place. The original Pinglaoli District is surrounded by mountains on three sides, with a meandering tonghe river in the middle, looking down on the shape of the word "tong", which is why it is named "tongchuan". This area has a large temperature difference between day and night, and the soil phosphorus and potassium content is high, making it a small basin with a unique climate. The pear skin is thin and thick, the stone cells are small, the core is small, the sugar content is high, the taste is sweet and crisp, and the flavor is unique. The sugar content of the fruit can reach up to 21%, especially the high sugar content and is welcomed by the majority of consumers.
During the Northern Wei Dynasty, Tongchuan Pear District held the "Pear Blossom Festival" every year on the sixth day of April, and this tradition continues to this day. The Qing Dynasty poet Wang Peiyu once praised tongchuan pears as "ten miles of fragrant wind blowing continuously, ten thousand clear snow blossoming pear blossoms", and praised as "golden melons", included in the tribute.
It is understood that there is a pear tree from the Tang Dynasty in Shangzhuang Village, Yuanping City. The pear tree has been verified by experts and is a pear tree from the Tang Dynasty period, which is a living ancient fossil. At the 2019 Picking Festival, the first "Fushou pear" picked on this ancient pear tree of the Tang Dynasty was auctioned away by a gentleman who did not want to be named at a high price of 1,000 yuan, setting a record for the price of a single pear in "Pear Township and Tongchuan". At the same time, with admiration for this thousand-year-old pear tree, each 100 yuan Fushou pear was also invited to leave.
April 23 every year is the Pear Blossom Festival in Tongchuan, which is actually the Pear Blossom Festival in Yuanping, which attracts countless literati and inkers to enjoy the flowers. In recent years, Harahei City has held a Ewha Poetry Festival, where you can enjoy the flowers.