Millets and Other Grains · FFET10391
Gaoliang (sorghum)
Sorghum has sticky and non-sticky types, used for porridge, cakes and liquor.
Millets, sorghum, barley, oats, buckwheat and the other grains eaten as staples.
Sorghum is a tall cereal with red, white or brown grain, including sticky varieties. Historical writing records its use for liquor, cakes and porridge. Modern sorghum production in China focuses on brewing, with major growing areas in the northeast, southwest and north.
What
Sorghum is a tall cereal, Sorghum bicolor. Its grain can be red, white or brown, and varieties include sticky and non-sticky types.1,2
When
Historical writing records sorghum under the name shushu, describing cultivation in northern China and uses for food and liquor. These accounts do not establish when sorghum reached China.1,2,4
Where
By planting area in 2018, northeastern, southwestern and northern China were the main growing regions. The northeastern grouping includes Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang; the southwest includes Sichuan, Guizhou and Chongqing; and the northern grouping includes Shanxi, Inner Mongolia and Henan.3
How
Historical writing describes mixing sticky sorghum with shu grain to make liquor or cakes, while non-sticky sorghum was used for cakes or porridge. Today, sorghum is also an important grain for baijiu, steamed and fermented for brewing. Its stalks can be made into brooms and mats.1,2,3
Why
Sorghum tolerates heat and drought, and the stickiness of its grain varies by variety. These characteristics relate to its different uses as a food crop and brewing grain.1,3
Impact and influence
China's sorghum planting area fell from 3.457 million hectares in 1978 to 710,000 hectares in 2018. Industry development has focused on brewing, linking varieties, growing areas and farmers.3