This June, a TV series The Longest Day In Chang'an went popular in China. It tells a story that happened in ancient China, in the Tang Dynasty capital city Chang'an. Today, Chang'an city is renamed Xi'an, which is the provincial capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province. 

Audiences were not only attracted to the plots, but also a variety of fancy food of ancient China in the TV show. One of them was a dessert called "huo jing shizi" ("fire crystal persimmon"). In the series, the main character ordered a persimmon and used a straw to suck the nectar. The way he enjoyed, it made audiences' mouths watering. The "fire crystal persimmon" has become a best seller on Chinese internet shopping platforms. 

The area of Lintong, in the city of Xi'an, Shaanxi, is famous for producing the fire crystal persimmon. It is said that the fruit is as red as fire, while the pulp is as clear as crystal, thus it is named "fire crystal." People also appreciate it for the paper-thin skin and particular sweetness. Except for eating raw, the persimmon can be made into a vine, vinegar, and mixed with flour to make persimmon cake. 

The Asian persimmon is native to China, then spread to Japan and Korea. China has a history of over 2,000 years in persimmon cultivation and accounts for 72 percent of the total production of the fruit worldwide. In Shaanxi, the history of the fire crystal persimmon is more than 1,300 years. There is a 108-year-old fire crystal persimmon tree in Lintong, Xi'an, which still bears fruit every year now. 

China's Flora Tour

From the wetlands along the coast to the dense rainforests hidden in the southwest of China, all boast an array of plant species. In this series, CGTN will go on a tour to learn about some of the most iconic flora in different provinces and see how they live in harmony with the local climate and topography. 

(Cover photo via VCG, designed by CGTN's Li Jingjie)

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