Zigui Navel Oranges

Zigui Navel Oranges

Zigui Navel Oranges are a protected geographical indication product.

Zigui Navel Oranges are a certified geographical indication trademark.

　　Zigui County is located in the western part of Hubei Province, at the reservoir head and dam area of the Three Gorges Project. It is the hometown of Qu Yuan, a world-renowned cultural figure and great patriotic poet, as well as the famous “Hometown of China’s Navel Oranges” and an open county in the Yangtze River Economic Open Zone. The county administers 12 towns, 209 villages, has a population of 395,000, and covers a total area of 2,427 square kilometers.

　　Zigui has promising development prospects. Its unique geographical location means the county seat is just one kilometer from the Three Gorges Dam, and will become a transportation hub between the upstream and downstream areas of the dam, with the Yichang–Huangshi Expressway leading directly to the new county seat. The county boasts abundant natural resources and exceptional tourism assets, where the majestic and spectacular natural scenery of the Xiling Gorge complements the cultural heritage of Qu Yuan’s hometown, the grandeur of the dam, and the scenic beauty of the flat lake—creating a uniquely enchanting allure. Tourism is set to be the most advantageous, dynamic, and promising economic growth point for Zigui’s future development. The county also has great potential for hydropower resource development, with a theoretical hydropower reserve of 172,000 kilowatts. After the completion of the dam, the county’s water area spans 100 square kilometers, providing important resources for aquaculture, water tourism, and water transport. Zigui is rich in mineral resources, which are diverse, abundant, high-grade, and easy to extract. More than 20 types have been identified, including coal, iron, gold, silica, and dolomite. Zigui is a national key coal-producing county and a provincial key gold-producing county. The county also has a rich variety of agricultural specialties, producing a wide range of cash crops such as citrus, tea, chestnuts, flue-cured tobacco, and medicinal herbs, with citrus being particularly renowned. Among them, navel oranges, mandarin oranges, summer oranges, and tangerine oranges are hailed as the “Four Jewels of Valley Citrus.” Zigui’s environment and conditions for opening up to the outside world are increasingly favorable, with the new county seat becoming an increasingly prominent window for external exchange. Zigui also faces unique opportunities through relocation and paired assistance programs. The county will adhere to the overall development strategy of “Relying on the Three Gorges, opening up and developing, strengthening agriculture and industry, expanding markets and commerce, and enriching both the county and its people.” It aims to attract joint development with leading enterprises, striving to build Zigui into a model Three Gorges window county, an advanced open county, a prosperous economic county, a culturally developed county, and a star tourism destination.

　　Source: Text/Photos by Zheng Kun/Wei Qiyang

　　Source: Text/Photos by Zheng Kun/Wei Qiyang