How did Chen Zhenlong introduce sweet potatoes to China?

When Chen Zhenlong went to Luzon Island (now the Philippines) for business, he saw a local sweet potato (sweet potato), which was drought-tolerant and easy to grow, and could be eaten both raw and cooked. Ignoring the Spanish government's ban on the export of sweet potatoes, he twisted the sweet potatoes into absorbent ropes and smeared sludge on the ropes to avoid the inspection of checkpoints, so that he was able to cross the sea by boat and bring them back to Fuzhou for cultivation. In this way, Chen Zhenlong introduced sweet potatoes to China.

Chen Zhenlong (about 1543- 16 19), male, Han nationality, from Qingqiao Village, Changle County, Fuzhou City, Fujian Province. In 20 years, he failed to be a scholar, failed in the township examination, and abandoned Confucianism to go to sea. In Luzon Island, Chen Zhenlong saw sweet potatoes everywhere, and learned that this kind of potato is drought-tolerant, high-yielding, adaptable and edible both raw and cooked. So he learned the planting method, invested in the purchase of potato seeds, and secretly carried potato vines in May (1593) in the 21st year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty, evaded the exit inspection, and sailed back to Fuzhou after 7 days and nights, that is, tried planting in the gap near Shamaochi.

That year, there was a severe drought in central Fujian, resulting in a poor harvest. Chen Zhenlong asked his son to write to Fujian Governor Jin, announcing that Lu Songzhu potatoes could save the famine. Jin promised to try planting, and once the harvest was over, he would try planting. When the trial planting was successful, Kim was overjoyed to hear the news. The next year, he ordered planting all over the country to solve the problem of food shortage in Fujian. Due to the promotion of gold, Fujian people changed the name of bamboo tree to sweet potato, because it was introduced from abroad. The descendants of Chen Zhenlong were propagated to Zhejiang, Shandong, Taiwan Province and other places, becoming an important food crop variety in China.

Marco Dragon introduced sweet potato into China, which improved the structure and recipes of crops in China and became one of the important foods to alleviate hunger in the old society. According to ancient books, in the famine years, "nine times out of ten villagers lived on potatoes." During the reign of Qing Qianlong, sweet potatoes have spread to most parts of the country. At present, China's sweet potato planting area exceeds 1 100 million mu, with an annual output of 30 million tons of raw grain, accounting for 80% of the world's total sweet potato production. During the light years of the Qing Dynasty, Fuzhou built the "First Potato Pavilion" in Wu Shishan to commemorate this successful introduction.