Tongyu

Tongyu

Known as the "Hometown of Loquats in China," Tongyu Town, located at the foot of Liangxi Mountain in Luqiao, is famed for its loquat industry.

Historical records indicate that loquat cultivation began here during the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty. Currently, the town has 7,200 acres of loquat orchards. In 1997, the total loquat yield reached 4,078 tons, accounting for one-fourth of the national production that year, making it the town’s top pillar industry. In 1996, Tongyu Town was recognized by the Ministry of Agriculture as the "Hometown of Loquats in China." In 2000, the provincial forestry department awarded Tongyu Town the title of "Loquat Hometown" and included it in the first list of Provincial Specialty Forestry Towns.

Starting in 1997, every year during the loquat harvest season, the district tourism bureau in collaboration with the Tongyu Town government organizes an eco-agricultural tourism festival centered around sightseeing in the loquat orchards. The orchard park features recreational facilities such as tea houses, Cuicui Pool, the Pleasure Pavilion, and the Delight Pavilion. The park offers a variety of interactive activities, including traditional opera performances, folk culture displays, treasure hunts in the mountains, and loquat picking, all of which captivate visitors. The Loquat Festival not only extends the traditional agricultural industry chain and increases economic benefits, but also serves as the only eco-tourism event in the urban area, providing a leisure destination for city residents during holidays and enhancing social and environmental benefits. As the first eco-agricultural sightseeing project in Taizhou City, the Tongyu Loquat Festival was listed among the city’s top ten tourism festivals. In the planning of the central "Green Heart" tourism zone of Taizhou’s composite mountain-water city, Tongyu’s resource and geographic advantages have been highlighted, with plans to develop it into a tourism and leisure resort center.