Chapter 426 Autumn Harvest
According to the customs of the old Beijing people, after the "Beginning of Autumn", it is autumn.

Liu Yuxi's poem "Since ancient times, people have felt sad and lonely when autumn comes. I say that autumn is better than spring" means that people have felt sad and lonely every autumn since ancient times.

However, Liu Zhiye believes that autumn is better than spring and has a more uplifting spirit.

Lao She once said that he wanted to live in Hangzhou in the spring, in Qingcheng Mountain in the summer, and in Beijing in the autumn.

Because autumn in Beijing is heaven. The sound of trained pigeons flying under the blue sky, the dazzling red walls of the Forbidden City, the blooming chrysanthemums in Zhongshan Park and Beihai, and the fluttering yellow leaves in the densely packed alleys.

Yu Dafu also said, if I could keep the autumn in the north, I would give up two-thirds of my life in exchange for one-third of it.

Beijing in autumn is beautiful but also short-lived. The sky is vast and there are no traces of clouds. When the warm sunshine shines on this ancient city, it instantly exudes the beauty of time going back.

People who have lived in Beijing must have had this feeling. No matter how busy they are, they must go to Ditan Park in autumn to step on the golden leaves.

In the autumn, Ditan Park has red maple leaves, yellow ginkgo trees, green pines and cypresses, as well as red walls, green tiles and a clear blue sky. There is no longer the sorrowful autumn as described by the ancients, but rather a sense of silence and tranquility.

Liu Zhiye, who grew up in a hutong, also believes that autumn is brilliant and beautiful.

Moreover, autumn is the season of harvest and also a time for children at home to have fun.

Due to work requirements, Liu Zhiye frequently traveled between the military region and Liujiazhuang. Occasionally, due to time constraints, he would choose to rest in the quaint courtyard in Nanluoguxiang.

In his spare time, he would deliberately slow down his pace and savor the scenery of this era, knowing that such scenes might only be buried deep in memory in a few years.

Liu Zhiye walked in the alleys in the Nanluoguxiang area and felt the autumn with the most colors of the old Beijing. In these criss-crossing alleys, there are many old houses with classic Beijing characteristics.

Keep walking along Nanluoguxiang, and when you reach the end, cross the road to reach Beiluoguxiang, which is located in Andingmen Street, Dongcheng District.

Beiluoguxiang starts from Andingmen West Street in the north and ends at Gulou East Street in the south. It is connected with Huayuan North Lane, Huayuan Front Lane, Cheniandian Hutong, Xiejia Hutong, Fensiting Hutong, Beixiawazi Hutong, Dajingchang Hutong and Dajingchang West Lane in the east, and with Dongtao Hutong, Qianfu Lane, Langjia Hutong, Shaluo Hutong, Jingtu Hutong, Liulishi Hutong and Huafeng Hutong in the west.

In the Qing Dynasty, it belonged to the Bordered Yellow Banner and was called Beiluoguxiang. One theory about the origin of the name is that Luoguoxiang, which was named after the common people, is actually Luoguxiang; another theory is that this place got its name because there were many gong and drum merchants and it was located to the north of Gulou East Street.

In recent years, it has been renamed "Zanjun Street".

Beiluoguxiang is one of the most beautiful alleys in Beijing. In autumn, the yellow leaves are flying around here, which is full of ancient charm. The tall old trees are covered with yellow leaves and their branches are drooping. Any shot here will create a beautiful scene.

Most people may have only heard of Nanluoguxiang but not Beiluoguxiang. Even the people of Beijing themselves may not know how many alleys there are in the capital.

Historically, the capital city was famous for its numerous alleys. There is a saying among the people that "there are 3,600 famous alleys, and unnamed alleys are as numerous as the hairs on a cow."

Like Dongniujiao Hutong, Jinru Hutong, Miishi Hutong, Qingyun Hutong, Rufuli, Dachuan Hutong, Jiaoweiying Hutong, Baishun Hutong, Baihuashenchu..., too many to count.

In those days, the lives of ordinary people in and outside the alleys were leisurely. They dried cabbages and quilts, chatted, made noises, wrote letters, walked dogs, played with birds, took walks, and enjoyed the cool air...

Life is also cramped and small, with clothes that cannot be hung out to dry, women who have nowhere to go and have to wash their hair outside, and simple public toilets.

There are also hard workers, including young people who go to work in horse-drawn carriages, old men selling watermelons and sleeping in the open air, porters pulling goods, small vendors selling high-power telescopes, country girls waiting to be selected by employers as nannies, migrant workers looking for work, and the greening team spraying pesticides on trees.

However, Lao She also said that in the autumn in the capital, there is nothing that is unsatisfactory about food, clothing, housing and transportation.

As for the weather, it was neither too cold nor too hot. As for food, there were apples, pears, persimmons, dates, and grapes, all in various varieties.

As for the small white pears and large white crabapples, which are specialties of Beijing, they are probably the forbidden fruits in paradise. Even Adam and Eve would drool when they saw them!
In addition to fruits, mutton is fat, the sorghum-red "Shengfang crab" is just off the market, and the chestnuts from Liujiazhuang area are fragrant from miles away.

In addition to seasonal fruits and vegetables, the old Beijingers start to gain weight as soon as autumn comes.

Freshly roasted duck, with green onion and loofah strips, spread with sauce, and sandwiched in pancakes, is crispy and delicious. The sliced ​​duck skin, dipped in a little sugar while hot, is truly melt-in-your-mouth delicious.

When the wind in late autumn blows a little colder, every household in the old capital will gather around the steaming charcoal pot to eat copper pot mutton hotpot with pickled garlic and sesame sauce.

Liu Zhiye, who was born and raised in Beijing, loves the roasted lamb at Zhengyanglou the most. Every time he goes there to eat, he eats with relish.

Just thinking about this kind of scene makes me feel happy.

Among the 24 solar terms, there are the Autumnal Equinox and the Vernal Equinox, which are respectively related to the Beginning of Autumn and the Beginning of Spring.

In other words, the Beginning of Autumn and the Beginning of Spring mark the beginning of autumn and spring, while the Autumnal Equinox and the Vernal Equinox mean that half of autumn and spring have passed respectively.

The so-called "division" means equal division.

This is what the saying "dividing the autumn colors equally" means; this is also what the Qing Dynasty poem says "The wild geese will leave tomorrow, autumn is approaching at this time" means.

The autumnal equinox has arrived, which means the arrival of late autumn, which has the same climatic symbol as midsummer in summer.

This is the best time of autumn, neither cold nor hot, but cool and pleasant. Even though people often say "an autumn rain brings a chill", no matter how cool the autumn rain is, it is refreshing.

In the capital, this is the best season of the year. The weather is clear and the sun is bright but not scorching.

There is a song singing: "That brilliant midsummer passed by, and then there was a long sound: leaves falling..." The leaves fell, but they were golden yellow or crimson, and can be used as bookmarks, sandwiched in the memory of the season.

In the capital area, this is the time when fruits are available in large quantities. Even in those years when transportation was not well developed and there were no fruits from the south, the capital still had many varieties of local fruits.

At this time, fruits from Liujiazhuang area of ​​the "Huaguo Mountain" in the capital, such as Yaer pear, Shaguo pear, white pear, water pear, apple, Linqin, Shaguo, betel nut, autumn fruit, crabapple, European plum, green persimmon, fresh jujube, grape, late peach, and peach slave, were on the market in large quantities.

There are also a variety of fruits such as edamame, lotus roots, red and yellow cockscombs, watermelons, etc., which have begun to enter thousands of households in the Beijing-Tianjin area.

Today, in the vast mountainous area of ​​Liujiazhuang (which has merged with surrounding villages and towns many times), after more than a decade of unremitting efforts, about 600,000 to 700,000 mu of fruit forests have been grown.

These fruits not only nourish industries such as winemaking and food processing, but the surplus is more than enough to meet the consumption needs of Beijing and Tianjin's 20 million people.

On this land, every fruit carries sweat and hope, weaving the harvest legend of Liujiazhuang.

Around the time of the Autumnal Equinox, many large and small stalls would be set up on the streets of Beijing to sell fruits, which were called "festival fruit stalls."

Of course, the most concentrated and lively one is the fruit market outside Qianmen.

This is a small street, starting from Xianyukou in the north and ending at Zhushikou in the south. It is only one mile long, but it is lined with fruit stalls, both wholesale and retail, just like the Xinfadi outside Xihongmen today.

"The fruit market is east of Qianmen... the lights are as bright as day, and all kinds of fruits are displayed, filling the market."

At this time, there was another sight on the streets of Beijing, that is, people selling sugar-roasted chestnuts.

"Every evening, they would bring out a huge pot and fry it with sugar on the street."

"Every day when the lights go down, people roast chestnuts in the market, the flames are so bright, but they have to set up stoves outside the door, which hinders the carriages and horses."

The huge pot was facing the street with flames igniting, even blocking traffic. It must have been a spectacular sight.

Moreover, the fragrance of chestnuts wafting through the street is the warmest and richest aroma of this season, overshadowing the fragrant sweet-scented osmanthus scent of this season.

Of course, most of the fruits and dried fruits from the above-mentioned places come from Liujiazhuang and other areas in the west of Beijing.

After the autumnal equinox, there is another sight on the street: people selling rabbit dolls.

This kind of rabbit statue is made of loess, water and mud. After being burned and dried, it is painted with colors. It varies in size and shape. Some are riding horses, some are riding tigers, and some are wearing costumes and tied with flags. They are piled up like a small mountain and sold on stalls. There is a bamboo poem that says, "I suddenly realized that the festival is approaching, and the streets are full of people competing to display the rabbit mountain."

The festival mentioned here refers to the Mid-Autumn Festival, and the Autumnal Equinox is right next to the Mid-Autumn Festival.

This is especially true this year, as the day after the Autumnal Equinox is the Mid-Autumn Festival. In fact, the earliest Mid-Autumn Festival in ancient Xia was actually set on the "Autumnal Equinox" solar term in the lunar calendar.

Since the date of the "Autumnal Equinox" in August is different every year, the moon may not rise on this day. Not being able to appreciate the moon is not only a pity, but offering sacrifices to the moon without a moon is extremely disappointing. Therefore, in the early Tang Dynasty, the 15th day of the eighth lunar month was changed to Mid-Autumn Festival, and it has continued ever since.

In the past, this season was not only the time for mooncakes to be on the market, but also the time for Rabbit Gods to appear in formation.

However, due to special reasons, this has become less popular in recent years and I haven't seen this thing sold on the market for several years.

When it comes to Mid-Autumn Festival, of course, fruits are the best-selling item.

Because, when you buy fruits home, besides satisfying your cravings, you can also use them to worship the moon.

However, there are some requirements for the fruits that can be offered on the altar. For example, pears cannot be offered on the altar because they have the same pronunciation as the Chinese character for "li". Watermelons must be carved into lotus petals, and lotus roots should preferably have nine sections.

When eating after the moon worship, there is one thing that is absolutely indispensable, that is apples. The "Old Beijing Customs Records" says: "Mid-Autumn Festival is a reunion festival. On this day, family members and fathers and sons celebrate together. As a rule, they must eat apples, which are called reunion fruits. Therefore, the price of apples is the most expensive at this time."

Apple is the undisputed protagonist in the fruit feast of autumn in northern Beijing. Since ancient times, the western part of Beijing has been known as the land of apples.

The majestic Yanshan Mountain and Taihang Mountain meet in the northwest of Liujiazhuang, forming a narrow and long warm zone in front of the mountains that stretches for hundreds of miles. The Wenyu River originates in the shady side and the Baihe River runs across the sunny side, nourishing this "feng shui treasure land" at the foot of the mountain that is suitable for apple growth.

In recent years, most of the apples produced in Liujiazhuang, west of Beijing, are small "Guoguang" apples, and the later "Red Fuji" variety has not yet been introduced. This small "Guoguang" apple has a unique taste, sweet and slightly sour, which is very memorable.

Relying on scientific cultivation techniques, Liujiazhuang can harvest 3000 to 5000 kilograms of small apples per acre, which is an astonishing yield.

At present, more than 300,000 mu of apples have been planted in the region, with an annual output of over one million tons, making it a well-known "Apple Town".

Apple is a good fruit. Not only does it have a large yield, it can also be used to make apple cider, apple cider vinegar, apple chips, and applesauce.

The Liujiazhuang winery’s own food factory produces a large number of various foods using apples as raw materials.

Cut the apples into thin slices and bake them slowly at low temperature to make crispy chips that can be used as a snack or as a good companion to afternoon tea.

Apples can also be squeezed into juice and fermented to make cider, which has the aroma of apples and the slight intoxication of alcohol.

Apple vinegar is fermented and can be used not only in cooking but also as a healthy drink to aid digestion and boost immunity.

Dice apples, add sugar and lemon juice, and cook until soft to make applesauce, which can be spread on bread or used as a seasoning for barbecue.

The apple product series of "Liujiazhuang Food Factory" is not only popular in the local area, but also won the enthusiastic pursuit of the "Russians" in Eastern Europe.

Eastern Europeans have always had a special liking for fine wine and desserts. However, while their heavy industry is strong, their light industry is slightly weak. This has opened up a broad market space for Xiaguo enterprises that excel in light industry, especially food manufacturers in Liujiazhuang.

Last year, Liujiazhuang alone achieved food exports of up to 1.2 million rubles, of which products with apples as the core raw material accounted for more than two-thirds of the total exports, a remarkable achievement.

If apples are a common guest in people's fruit plates, then the scarce Beijing white pear is a rare guest on the tongues of citizens.

The Beijing white pear originated from Junshan Qinglonggou (merged) in Liujiazhuang area. The first one was a natural seedling tree growing in the low-lying water area of ​​the ditch. It has a history of more than 400 years.

There are now about one or two hundred old pear trees over 200 years old in the Liujiazhuang area.

There is a saying circulating in Beijing: "The authentic Beijing white pears are grown in Junzhuang, and the best Beijing white pears come from Liujiazhuang." The taste of Beijing white pears will change when grown in other places. Therefore, the unique water and soil of Liujiazhuang have become necessary conditions for nurturing authentic Beijing white pears.

Beijing white pear is the only famous local specialty fruit with the word "Beijing" in its name. Anyone who has eaten Beijing white pear will recall its fragrant and sweet taste.

Due to the extremely small production in its place of origin, Beijing white pears have always been highly valued.

According to legend, in the late Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, Minister Heshen happened to meet a pear seller in Xiangshan. He bought some naturally delicious pears and presented them to the emperor.

Emperor Qianlong also liked this delicious pear, so Heshen followed orders and searched for it. Finally, he found the authentic Beijing white pear in Liujiazhuang in the west of Beijing.

It is said that the first pear tree conferred a title by Emperor Qianlong was called "Laojun Tree". Later, successive emperors of the Qing Dynasty also conferred titles on the old pear tree in Liujiazhuang.

According to records, Beijing white pear has been a tribute to the court since the Tongzhi period of the Qing Dynasty and was very much loved by the Empress Dowager Cixi.

Since Liujiazhuang established the blueprint of deepening its fruit planting industry, it has taken positive action to implement a thorough protection strategy for local rare specialties, while steadily expanding its planting territory.

On this land, the ancient "Beijing White Pear" trees with a long history are carefully cared for, preparing to join forces with the booming new pear orchards around them in the future - to organize an annual "Pear Blossom Festival", when the mountains and fields will be full of snow-white flowers, attracting visitors from all over the world.

If the Beijing white pear is named after the color of its fruit, then the famous Fshan "Mopan Persimmon" introduced by Liujiazhuang is named after the shape of its fruit.

Southwest and northwest Beijing are the areas with the widest distribution of underground heat energy in the suburbs of Beijing, and the natural conditions are particularly suitable for the growth and development of persimmon trees.

Especially the Mopan Persimmon from Zhangfang Town, which is large, colorful, thin-skinned and juicy. It is named because of its obvious constriction mark on the waist of the fruit, which divides the flesh into two parts, and its shape resembles a millstone. Since ancient times, it has been known as "more colorful than gold and sweeter than jade liquid".

The Annals of Fshan County compiled during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty also recorded that "persimmons are the main product of this area. There are persimmons in every village in the Hetao Valley in the northwest and the Zhangfang Valley in the southwest. Most of them are sold to the capital from Fshan. They are as big as fists and as sweet as honey."

According to legend, Emperor Taizu of Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang, was young and his family was poor. One day, he drifted to Dayugou Village in F Mountain. He had not eaten for two days when he suddenly saw red spots on the branches of a persimmon tree in the northeast corner. It turned out that the frost persimmons were ripe.

He reached out to pick the persimmons, ate them ravenously, bowed to the tree and left.

Many years later, Zhu Yuanzhang, who had ascended the throne, passed by this place during a tour and made a special visit to the life-saving persimmon tree.

He walked under the tree, took off his dragon robe, wrapped it around the old tree, and named it "Marquis Lingshuang".

Since then, Mopan persimmon has been offered as tribute every year.

The southeast part of Liujiazhuang borders F Mountain, and the geographical location is not very favorable, so it is of course suitable for growing "millstone persimmons".

In today's Liujiazhuang area, fruit planting has clear goals, and the fruits grown here are all famous local products in Beijing.

Such as the local "Liujiazhuang small cherry" and "big white pear", as well as the imported "Panggezhuang watermelon", "Jingxi small apple", "Mopan persimmon", "Langjiayuan jujube", "Changxindian white jujube", "尜尜 jujube", "Golden thread jujube" and other famous Beijing specialty fruits.

The ancients had a saying that "eating three dates a day will lead to immortality."

Old Beijingers often like to plant one or two jujube trees in their own courtyards to enjoy the flowers in spring, enjoy the cool in summer, and eat the fruits in autumn.

Many famous local dates in Beijing that were once on the verge of extinction, such as Langjiayuan dates and Changxindian white dates, are the "old flavors" that old Beijingers will never forget.

There are four excellent varieties of dates in the capital area. Changxindian white dates are one of them. They are large, thin-skinned, crispy, small-core, sweet and juicy.

The "尜尜７" date is named after its pointed ends and wide middle, similar to the "尜尜" toy for children. It is said to have been a tribute to the royal family in the Ming Dynasty.

A century-old jujube tree king still survives in front of a villager's house in Qiaozizi Town, Huairou, its place of origin.

The Langjiayuan dates, which originate from the Langjiayuan area of ​​CY District, have been supplied to the imperial court since the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty. They were especially favored by the Empress Dowager Cixi. There was once a saying in the market that "there is no Langjiayuan without dates".

Speaking of autumn harvest, grapes symbolize a good harvest, whether in color, shape or taste.

As early as the reign of Emperor Kangxi, the history of grape cultivation began in Beijing.

Before the establishment of Xinxia, ​​the area of ​​grape cultivation in the capital was very small. Apart from the planting in churches, there were only a few grape racks in the mansions of the dignitaries in the old capital. It was difficult for ordinary people to even look at the grapes, let alone eat them.

Today, there are 30,000 acres of grapes planted in the Liujiazhuang grape plantation, which has the reputation of "Turpan in the Capital" and "Grape Town in the Suburbs of Beijing".

As a result, "Liujiazhuang Brewery" has added a new business...

(End of this chapter)