In China, a feudal society of 2,000 years, with the prosperity and development of the economy, the most frequent exchanges with countries around the world have become more and more frequent. China's silk, tea, porcelain, etc. are exported in large quantities to all parts of the world, and rare treasures from all over the world also continue to enter China.
As a large agricultural country, the introduction of crops is also indispensable. For example, during the Han Dynasty, Zhang Qian sent an envoy to the Western Regions to bring back grapes, pomegranates, coriander, carrots, cucumbers and garlic.
During the Tang Dynasty, the maritime Silk Road introduced Persian dates, pepper, spinach, etc. to China. During the Ming Dynasty, the Dutch brought potatoes to China, hence the name Dutch potato.
The incident of Zhang Qian's mission to the Western Regions proves that the introduction of crops in China mostly originates from **. But the introduction of sweet potatoes has a unique history. During the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, after the Wanli Emperor came to power, he ignored the government and led to social turmoil.
However, during this period, due to the opening of the maritime ban policy by Emperor Wanli, the maritime ** was legalized, which greatly promoted the development of private overseas **. The maritime ** in Fujian and other places became prosperous, and many businessmen participated in it, including Chen Zhenlong.
Chen Zhenlong, whose name is Zhenlong, is a native of Qingqiao Village, Changle County, Fuzhou Prefecture, Fujian Province. He studied diligently since he was a child, and he became famous before he was 20 years old. However, he later failed many imperial examinations, and felt that there was no hope of corruption in the field, so he gave up the literary examination and devoted himself to the business world.
He moved his family to Dadaopu in Fuzhou, but the road to business was not easy. During the Wanli period, natural disasters occurred frequently, and people everywhere were poorly clothed, hungry, and even displaced.
In such a predicament, the difficulties of life are beyond words, let alone the money to buy goods. In order to make ends meet, Chen Zhenlong took his son on a merchant ship to Luzon (present-day the Philippines) to engage in commercial activities.
When Chen Zhenlong first arrived in Luzon, he witnessed the prosperity of the people here and the scene of the people living and working in peace and contentment, and sighed deeply: although Luzon is small, its people live comfortably; In contrast, the people of the Ming Dynasty suffered from hunger and cold, and lived in misery.
During his journey at sea, Chen Zhenlong discovered a delicacy that he had never tried in his life - red potato, which is now sweet potato. He found that vermilion potatoes are very common in the local area, can be eaten raw or cooked, have a variety of tastes, are loved by people of all ages, and will have a strong feeling of satiety after eating.
After Chen Zhenlong tasted the sweet potato, he secretly thought to himself: "If our people in the Ming Dynasty can also taste this delicious sweet potato, how good it would be!" ”
Chen Zhenlong has always been concerned about the vermilion potato, and while he runs the business, he communicates with the locals to understand the characteristics of the vermilion potato. He found that vermilion potatoes are extremely adaptable, do not have high soil requirements, are heat and drought tolerant, are very suitable for planting, and have high yields.
Chen Zhenlong took advantage of his business convenience to establish good relationships with local farmers, and knew how to grow vermilion potatoes well. However, he was troubled by the fact that the sweet potato was popularized in Luzon by the Spanish colonists, and it was very strictly controlled, and the inspection of departing merchant ships was also very careful, and no one was allowed to take the potato seedlings out of Luzon.
Chen Zhenlong thought: "If I take the risk of bringing potato seedlings on the ship, once discovered, not only will my life be in danger, but also the entire merchant ship, I need a perfect strategy!" ”
Chen Zhenlong was busy on a merchant ship, and while sorting out the goods, he suddenly encountered the officers and soldiers of Luzon. One of them kicked the suction rope on the deck away, but this seemingly unintentional action caught Chen Zhenlong's attention.
He closely observed the behavior of the officers and men, who carefully inspected every nook and cranny of the ship, except for the pile of suction ropes. This filled Chen Zhenlong's heart with joy, and he finally thought of a brilliant plan.
Chen Zhenlong weaved the old rope of the absorbent rope with his son overnight, exchanged porcelain with potato seedlings from farmers in Luzon, and coated them with appropriate mud, which could not only better hide the potato seedlings, but also protect the roots of the potato seedlings, and placed the cable in an inconspicuous place on the ship, successfully avoiding the departure inspection.
After seven days and nights of turbulent sailing, Chen Zhenlong and his son finally returned to Fuzhou safe and sound with potato seedlings.
As soon as Chen Zhenlong returned home, he couldn't wait to take out the potato seedlings he brought back, carefully wash them and soak the roots in water to cultivate them, and the potato seedlings regained their vitality. He was ecstatic at the discovery, planted the potato seedlings, and after four months of careful care, he finally harvested a rich vermilion potato.
Faced with the dilemma of a severe drought in Fujian and a reduction in grain production, Chen Zhenlong ordered his son Chen Jinglun to recommend the planting of vermilion potatoes to Fujian Governor Jin Xuezeng to cope with the famine. With the strong support of the governor, the vermilion potato was widely planted in the province, which solved the problem of food shortage and rescued a large number of victims.
In order to express their deep admiration for Chen Zhenlong and the eternal memory of his achievements, later generations honored him as the "Father of Sweet Potato" and built the "Xianshu Pavilion" as a place to commemorate this great pioneer.