Bird of Paradise Honey Pear

Bird of Paradise Honey Pear

　　Bird of Paradise Honey Pear is a specialty of Luniu Town, Yuhang District, Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province. The Bird of Paradise-brand honey pears primarily use the New Century pear variety; the fruits are perfectly round or slightly tall-round in shape; their surface is light yellow, virtually free of russeting, giving them an attractive appearance; the flesh is white, tender, crisp, juicy, and sweet, making them a pollution-free fruit product.

　　The "Bird of Paradise" brand honey pear is a famous and high-quality fruit specialty produced in Luniu Town, Yuhang District. Surrounded by mountains, Luniu Town features high peaks over 800 meters above sea level—pine trees at the mountaintops, bamboo groves halfway up the slopes, and fruit orchards (mainly pears) at the foothills. With its beautiful scenery, murmuring streams, mild winters and cool summers, significant diurnal temperature variations, rich and diverse vegetation, and a pristine ecological environment, the area has gray loamy soil and is free from industrial pollution within tens of miles, making it highly suitable for the growth and development of honey pears. It is also one of the origins of sand pears. The town has a long history of pear cultivation, with century-old pear trees visible everywhere. Since 1985, it has continuously introduced the best new honey pear varieties from both domestic and international sources, while placing strong emphasis on demonstration and promotion. After 20 years of effort, the region now has 7,812 acres of honey pear orchards, with an annual output of over 3,000 tons and an annual output value exceeding 10 million yuan. It has been named Zhejiang Province’s “Hometown of Honey Pears.”

　　The production of "Bird of Paradise" honey pears relies on scientific research and technical support from Zhejiang University. Senior horticultural agronomists have been hired to provide technical guidance and training to large-scale honey pear growers and local fruit farmers. Over the years of production practice, a large number of skilled honey pear producers have been trained, and a complete set of pear cultivation technical standards has been established. This has given the "Bird of Paradise" brand honey pears distinctive characteristics: they primarily use the New Century pear variety; they ripen 3–5 days later than those in the suburbs of Hangzhou; the fruits are perfectly round or slightly tall-round in shape; a high proportion of premium fruits weigh between 228–300 grams; the surface is light yellow, and this year the implementation of international standards has begun producing fruits with light green skins, virtually free of russeting, resulting in a very attractive appearance; the flesh is white, tender, crisp, juicy, and sweet, with soluble solids content exceeding 12%; they are strictly cultivated according to pollution-free standards, making them a pollution-free fruit product.

　　"Bird of Paradise" honey pears are marketed uniformly by professional cooperatives, with automated machine grading and handcrafted fine packaging. The product's popularity continues to rise, with main sales markets including Shenzhen, Hong Kong, Wenzhou, and Hangzhou, where they are well received by consumers. The product has won several awards, including the Zhejiang Province Gold Award for High-Quality Early Ripening Pears, the Gold Award at the Zhejiang Provincial Agricultural Expo, and recognition as a Zhejiang Province Pollution-Free Honey Pear Production Base. It has also repeatedly received the Gold Award for High-Quality Agricultural Products in Hangzhou. This year, after multiple on-site inspections, Taiwanese businessmen concluded that the internal quality of "Bird of Paradise" honey pears fully meets international standards, that the technology for eliminating russeting has largely succeeded, and that the pears can be exported to Europe and America. As a result, Luniu Town is set to become an export base for pears in China.

　　The main contiguous production area of "Bird of Paradise" honey pears is located just 1.5 kilometers from Provincial Highway 04 and only a 40-minute drive from Hangzhou City. It is also a key stop along the route to the Hongtao Mountain Hugou Gully tourist area, and has become a popular destination for domestic and international tourists to admire, pick, taste, and sightsee the pears.