A variety of dishes made from heitacai, a unique species of Chinese cabbage grown in Rugao, Nantong, are served at a promotional conference in Beijing on April 1. [Photo/ntfabu.com]

Heitacai, a unique species of Chinese cabbage grown in Rugao, a county-level city in Nantong, East China's Jiangsu province, proved popular at a promotional conference for the cabbage held in Beijing on April 1.

Nearly 100 representatives from Beijing restaurant chains, supermarkets, and hotels responded favorably to a variety of dishes made from the vegetable. Many of them reached sales agreements on the spot.

Due to its specific soil, temperature, and seasonal requirements, the vegetable can only be grown in Rugao. Its history dates back to the reign of Emperor Qianlong (1711-99) of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

In recent years, the Rugao government has been working to promote cooperation between companies, plantations, cooperatives, and farmers and to build a heitacai industrial chain involving planting, processing, packing, storing, and logistics.

Banjing town alone grows the cabbage over an area of more than 1,000 hectares, producing 15,000 tons of the vegetables every year and generating a combined 340 million yuan ($51.91 million) in output, according to an official from the town.

The Rugao government has also held promotional events for the vegetables in cities such as Qingdao, Shanghai, Sanya, and Guangzhou, introducing the delicacy to hundreds of thousands of households across the country through online and offline channels.

Thanks to new processing techniques that make the frozen vegetable taste fresher, heitacai is being eaten by the country's navy, as there are often vegetable shortages on long-distance voyages.