| China has a history of radish cultivation and utilization for more than two thousand years.The Book of Songs written in the Zhou dynasty has records about radish.While the specific time and region of the origin of radish varieties are difficult to verify.Most scholars believe that radish originated from the warm coast of Eurasia and large radish species originated from Asia.After a long period of domestication and development of cultivation techniques,radish has gradually become one of the most important vegetable crops in China.There are two kinds of long and round roots in Chinese cultivated radish,early red and white radish,then green and purple radish and red fleshy radish.According to the cultivation season,the Chinese radish is mainly autumn and winter radish,is a very good winter vegetables.The tang dynasty "si shi zuan yao" appeared in the records of summer radish,after the song dynasty,radish began to become the four seasons can be cultivated crops.In the middle and late Qing dynasty,a type of turnip with green manure and vegetables appeared.At present,there are nearly 2,000 varieties of radish cultivated in China,which makes China a big country of radish variety resources in the world.In the process of long-term cultivation and domestication,Chinese radish has been given many different names along with people’s cognitive change and cultural development.From the Pre-Qin period "fe" gradually evolved into "tu","Song(total)"lufei",tang dynasty," laifu",a popular then into "turnip" fu(notes).During the Yuan dynasty,the name"radish" was generally recognized by the authorities.In Ming dynasty,Li Shizhen,a medical scientist,confirmed that "radish" was widely recognized.According to statistics,since the zhou dynasty,there have been more than 50 different nicknames for radish.These nicknames represent different perceptions of radish in different periods and reflect the cultural characteristics of different regions.According to the background of The Book of Songs,the earliest cultivated area of radish is the central plains.Before the Tang dynasty,Chinese radish was famous in the northern regions of Qin and Jin.In the Song dynasty,radish began to be widely planted in southern China.Radish gradually became a vegetable crop widely cultivated in China,and many famous specialties and local excellent varieties were formed.China has a long history of radish cultivation and processing technology.The cultivation and processing methods of radish are described in Qi-People Essential.With the extensive cultivation of radish in China,the cultivation and utilization of radish were recorded in the agricultural books of various generations after the Tang dynasty in more detail,covering all the processes from land preparation and seeding,field management to harvest and seed retention.The theory of radish cultivation technology in the book of Bunongshu in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties has been very mature.Radish as an important vegetable crop in China,its cultivation and processing technology in various stages reflects the state of China’s agricultural development to a certain extent,but also represents the wisdom of the working people.Before the emergence of modern agriculture,winter vegetables were scarce,and the existence of Chinese radish alleviated the pressure of people’s demand for winter vegetables.After generations of working people’s practice,radish was developed a variety of types of food,not only can it be eaten raw or cooked,but it can also be used as a vegetable or as a substitute for staple food.China has been doing radish curly,radish drying and other processing methods for thousands of years.At present,the main raw materials of radish can be combined with other ingredients to produce nearly one hundred kinds of daily dishes and more than 60 kinds of small dishes.In the theory of traditional Chinese medicine,radish is considered cool,taste sweet,non-toxic,can eliminate stagnation,phlegm heat,all parts have very high medicinal value.After the Han dynasty,many medical books and records praised the medicinal function of radish,and even thought that radish was "the most beneficial person among vegetables".Besides its edible and medicinal value,Chinese radish has many important social and cultural functions.Because of its nutritional value and name,radish is used in many sacrificial ceremonies and festivals.The image of Chinese radish in the culture has been changing,from being considered as ugly in the early stage to being recognized by people gradually.After the Song dynasty,it became a popular civilian vegetable and was repeatedly praised in literary works.People also incorporated radish into the folk saying system,spreading wisdom through the image of radish.In ancient China,turnips brought considerable economic income to growers.As a vegetable crop with strong growth force and high yield,the economic benefit of cultivating radish is higher than that of main grain crop in most cases.Not only can poor families save money by substituting grain,but selling radishes has also become a means of getting rich.In the northern and southern dynasties,the price of radish was mentioned in the book Qi-People Essential.In the Tang dynasty,dried radish could be converted into the main grain to complete the task.With the improvement of people’s understanding of the economic value of radish,Many dignitaries also sold radishes as a sideline.In Song dynasty,many government offices also had records of planting radishes.In more than two thousand years of radish cultivation and utilization history,China has formed a rich radish culture.From being despised for its ugly appearance in the early days to being highly praised by people,radish has gradually become one of the representatives of Chinese vegetables.Since the reform and opening up,China’s economy has developed rapidly,but the development of related cultural industries started late,and the development of vegetable culture is slow.Radish has a long history of cultivation and utilization and a rich cultural image.It is the right way to develop the turnip culture industry according to the local conditions and make full use of Chinese turnip history. |
