In the northwestern Chinese city of Lanzhou – known as the “City of Fruits” for its rich agricultural heritage – winter brings with it a culinary treasure that defies logic. It looks like a blackened, shrivelled lump of something gone wrong. But beneath that unassuming, dark exterior lies a revelation: a honey-sweet, juice-packed delicacy that locals call ruan’er li (软儿梨) – the “soft pear.” Affectionately dubbed the “Oriental Ice Cream” and the “Haagen-Dazs of Gaolan,” (皋兰哈根达斯) this frozen fruit is one of China’s most extraordinary winter treats.
A Fruit That Transforms with Time
The ruan’er pear begins its life as an unremarkable green fruit. Known botanically as Pyrus ussuriensis – a hardy pear species native to northern China – it is harvested in late autumn when its flesh is hard, acidic, and almost astringent. But this is where the magic begins.
For over 500 years – with records tracing back to the Ming dynasty’s Jiajing era (1522–1566) – the people of Gaolan County (皋兰县), particularly in the ancient pear orchards of Shichuan Town, have known a secret that turns this humble fruit into a winter treasure. The freshly picked pears are stored through the cold winter months. As temperatures drop, the fruit undergoes a natural fermentation and freezing process. The green skin turns deep brown or black; the hard, astringent flesh transforms into a soft, syrup-like pulp.
The Legend of the Wandering Monk
Like many of China’s beloved foods, the ruan’er pear carries a legend. According to a tale from the Southern Song dynasty (1127–1279), a farmer named Guo in a village south of Lanzhou had harvested a bumper crop of green pears. But before he could sell them, a fortnight of heavy rain set in. When the weather finally cleared, Guo uncovered his store of pears to find them all turned into black, shrivelled lumps. His family wept, believing their year’s labour was lost.
Then a lame monk appeared at his door, begging for food. Guo, resigned to his misfortune, offered the monk the ruined pears. The monk peeled one, took a bite – and his face lit up with delight. Curious, Guo tried one himself. To his astonishment, the blackened fruit was sweet as honey and intensely refreshing.
The monk, Guo realised, was none other than the legendary Ji Gong (济公) – a folk hero known for his miraculous deeds. Word spread, and soon the “ugly” pears became a sensation. As the old saying goes: “Ugly as they look, they taste like celestial nectar and earthly lingzhi – one bite and you’ll never forget them”.
A Taste That Inspired Poets
The ruan’er pear’s fame grew over the centuries. In the late Qing dynasty, the scholar Zhang Guochang recorded in his Revised Gazetteer of Gaolan County (1892): “The fragrant pear, commonly called ruan’er, is greenish-yellow in autumn and slightly sour. Stored until late winter and early spring, it softens and turns black, its flesh dissolving into a pulp as sweet as honey”.
In the 1940s, the renowned scholar and calligrapher Yu Youren – a founding figure of the Republic of China – tasted the ruan’er pear during his travels in Gansu and was so moved that he composed a poem:
“In the icy, snowy land, the ruan’er pear –
The strangest wonder in this city of fruits.
Red-faced beauties on the tree go unplucked,
Yet its fragrance waits to turn to nectar in the mud.”
The Science of the Freeze
The ruan’er pear’s transformation is no mere folklore – it is a natural process of postharvest ripening and freeze-thaw maturation. After harvest, the pears are stored in cool conditions for about 40 days, during which they undergo a gentle fermentation that breaks down acids and develops sugars. As winter deepens, the fruit freezes solid. When it is brought indoors and allowed to thaw slowly, a remarkable thing happens: the frozen fruit’s cell walls break down, releasing its juices into a single, pourable syrup. The peel, now thin and fragile, becomes a mere sack for the liquid treasure within.
How to Eat a Ruan’er Pear
Eating a ruan’er pear is an experience in itself. The frozen fruit – often called a “frozen pear” – is placed in a bowl at room temperature. As it thaws, a thin layer of frost forms on the surface. Some locals prefer to immerse it in cold water, where an elegant shell of ice crystallises around the fruit. Once the pear has softened, you can peel back the skin with your fingers and sip the honey-like juice directly from the fruit. Others cut it open and scoop out the jelly-like pulp with a spoon, savouring its chilled, sweet, and faintly wine-like flavour.
Locals describe the sensation as “sweet, cool, and utterly refreshing” – a burst of frozen nectar that warms the soul even as it chills the palate.
A Nutritional Treasure
Beyond its extraordinary taste, the ruan’er pear is prized for its health benefits. The fruit is rich in fruit acids, citric acid, malic acid, sucrose, and glucose. It contains 18 amino acids, 24 trace elements, and a host of bioactive compounds. The Compendium of Materia Medica records that it moistens the lungs, cools the heart, resolves phlegm, reduces internal heat, and counteracts the effects of alcohol and toxins. For generations, Lanzhou families have turned to the ruan’er pear as a natural remedy for coughs and sore throats.
A Living Heritage
The ruan’er pear is more than just a fruit – it is a living piece of Chinese agricultural heritage. The ancient pear orchards of Shichuan Town, home to over 9,400 pear trees more than a century old, have been recognised as the “World’s First Ancient Pear Orchard” by Guinness World Records. In 2013, the orchard was listed among China’s first Important Agricultural Heritage Systems. And in 2025, “Gaolan Ruan’er Pear” was officially granted National Geographical Indication Protection status, joining the ranks of Lanzhou’s most treasured agricultural products.
Today, this once-humble winter snack is being transformed into modern delights – ruan’er pear ice cream, coffee, dried fruit, and even a special tea called “San Pao Tai”. But for the people of Lanzhou, the truest taste of the ruan’er pear remains unchanged: a frozen, blackened fruit, slowly thawed, and sipped with the quiet satisfaction of a winter tradition passed down through generations.
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