Hengyang Taiyuan Black Lotus Seeds

The National Intellectual Property Administration unveiled a list of newly-approved national-level geographical indication (GI) products in December 2025. Two Hunan products were on the list—Hengyang Taiyuan black lotus seeds and Leiyang Dahe grass carp. 

GI serves as a certificate for product quality and regional characteristics. A product that originates from a particular geographical area, where its quality, reputation, or other characteristics are fundamentally attributable to the natural and cultural factors in that area, may be approved as a GI product and named after the geographical location. 

The newly-approved Hengshan Taiyuan black lotus seeds are now recognized within a specific production area covering 443 administrative villages across 26 towns and townships (industrial parks and zones) under the jurisdiction of Hengyang County, including Taiyuan Town, Xidu Town, and Xianshan Town. 

In recent years, Hengyang County has given priority to building an entire industrial chain from planting, production, to processing of black lotus seeds. Guided by the principles of "planned production, standardized planting, refined processing, and brand marketing," the county has established specialized black lotus seed processing bases and has nurtured 23 black lotus seed processing and marketing enterprises. Among these, one has been recognized as a provincial-level leading enterprise and four as municipal-level leading ones. The county has planted 15,000 mu (over 1,000 hectares) of Taiyuan black lotus seeds, and processes and sells about 20,000 metric tonnes of shelled lotus seeds annually which have reached the Hong Kong, Macao, and international markets.

In addition, Hengyang County has integrated the development of the black lotus seed industry with rural revitalization, fostering a distinctive "lotus economy." These efforts have combined black lotus seed cultivation with sightseeing, and the establishment of a beautiful leisure countryside, paving a unique development path of "revitalizing towns through the lotus plant."

In 2021, Donghusi Village in Taiyuan Town was shortlisted by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs for the eleventh batch of the national "One Village, One Product" demonstration villages and towns, and was recognized as one of China's representative villages in rural characteristic industry with an output value exceeding 100 million CNY.

Chinese source: hunantoday