Beautiful rice paddies in Yunnan (2) Mojiang: Purple rice and the twin-birth legend

 

Giving birth to twins is a dream to many couples. In south Yunnan’s Mojiang County, the birth rate of twins is higher than other places in the province. Among the county’s population of 360,000, there are more than 1,200 pairs of twins.

 

The legend goes that the high twin birth rate in Mojiang is closely related to the long-term consumption of the purple rice grown in the county where the Tropic of Cancer passes. 

 

 

According to locals, with an altitude of 1,600 meters above the sea level and an annual average temperature of 19.8°C, Mojiang’s cool, refreshing and comfortable environment is ideal for purple rice growing. In the 180-day growth period, Mojiang purple rice can completely absorb the beneficial substances.

 

No one can tell exactly about the influence of purple rice on the twin birth rate, but locals are certain that purple rice is abundant in nutritious elements. For local women in pregnancy and during postpartum, they usually eat purple rice stewed with black-bone chicken. 

 

 

(By Yang Xiujie from Daguan Weekly Photographs by Liu Jiatong)

 

Editor: John Li