Jujube – the Chinese date

The cultivation of jujube trees in the region around Cangzhou has a long tradition. Farmers have been planting and harvesting Chinese dates (枣 – Zao) since the Spring and Autumn period (722 to 481 BC) and during the Warring States period (475 to 221 BC). In the village of Wanghuitou, west of Cangzhou, there is a jujube tree said to be over 1,000 years old. This jujube tree has a circumference of 1.8 m and a height of 7.4 m. The crown of the tree measures a large circumference of 5.6 x 6.2 m. Historical events related to the jujube have been recorded, such as during the Tang dynasty (years 617 to 907), when a certain Xindu Zhongsi harvested 400 jujubes that were 10 to 12 cm long. Normally, the fruit is only 2 to 3 cm long.
During the Northern Qi dynasty (years 550 to 577), a tree variety was bred that is now known as golden or immortal jujube. This era also produced the nutritional and therapeutic book