Pingshan Golden Turtle Tangerines

Pingshan Golden Turtle Tangerines

　　Many years ago, Golden Turtle Tangerines were widely renowned, and the original Jinguizhen Village was named after them. These tangerines are large, brightly colored, easy to peel, juicy, and very sweet. The Golden Turtle Tangerines from Pingshan Town in Longgang District have a history of over a hundred years. It is said that they were transplanted here by Hakka people from the mountainous border region between Hunan and Jiangxi. The tangerines are large and bright, with skins that peel easily, tender and fragrant flesh, and are rich in juice with an extremely sweet taste, making them an excellent choice for quenching thirst and aiding digestion.

　　Golden Turtle Tangerines are large, brightly colored, easy to peel, juicy, and very sweet. The Golden Turtle Tangerines from Pingshan Town in Longgang District have a history of over a hundred years. It is said that they were transplanted here by Hakka people from the mountainous border region between Hunan and Jiangxi. The tangerines are large and bright, with skins that peel easily, tender and fragrant flesh, and are rich in juice with an extremely sweet taste, making them an excellent choice for quenching thirst and aiding digestion. They were also quite popular in the international market.

　　Morphological Characteristics

　　The surface of the fruit has crisscrossing patterns that resemble the shell of a turtle. Golden Turtle Tangerines are known for their easy-to-peel skin, relatively large size, sweet flesh, abundant juice, and vibrant color — all of which have made them very popular with consumers. Even government agencies would send representatives to purchase them specifically. In the early 1960s, they were exported to Hong Kong at a price of 0.28 yuan per jin (500g), and by the early 1980s, the price had risen to over one yuan per jin. The Golden Turtle Tangerine was one of the main fruit varieties exported for foreign exchange earnings by the former Pingshan Town, and it was quite popular in the international market.

　　Distribution

　　As the name suggests, the Golden Turtle Tangerine is named after Jinguizhen Village. It is said to have a history of over 100 years, having been transplanted here by Hakka people from the mountainous border region between Hunan and Jiangxi. Once famous both at home and abroad, this fruit is now on the verge of extinction. At its peak, annual production reached over 40,000 jin, with some years yielding as much as 60,000 jin. The city’s food company would purchase them specifically, and they were also exported to Hong Kong and Southeast Asia. The Golden Turtle Tangerine was well-known both domestically and internationally.

　　Longgang’s Pingshan Subdistrict was once the home of one of Shenzhen’s most famous fruits — the Golden Turtle Tangerine. These tangerines are large, brightly colored, easy to peel, juicy, and very sweet. But local young people say they’ve never even tasted one, only hearing from elders about how famous they used to be. It is said that in the 1990s, the roots of Golden Turtle Tangerine trees were attacked by pests and diseases. Many experts were called in, but ultimately, the problem could not be resolved.

　　Endangered Status and Conservation

　　“In Search of the Disappearing Golden Turtle Tangerine”

　　Once famous at home and abroad, now on the verge of extinction. What was once a renowned Shenzhen specialty, celebrated both in China and abroad, is now nowhere to be found except for withered branches and memories.

　　In Cantonese, the word for “tangerine” (桔, pronounced "gat1") sounds like the word for “luck” or “prosperity” (吉, pronounced "gat1"). Every Lunar New Year, residents of Shenzhen and Hong Kong who are familiar with the local produce can’t help but think of the famous Shenzhen specialty — the Golden Turtle Tangerine. On a bright early spring day, we made a special trip to Jinguizhen Village, the birthplace of the Golden Turtle Tangerine, located in Pingshan Subdistrict, Longgang District. What we found, however, were withered branches and a desolate scene. At an altitude of over 300 meters on Pingtouling, Qiu Weiguang, the head of the local residents' group, looked somewhat sorrowful: “Last year, the village still harvested several thousand jin of Golden Turtle Tangerines. This year, there are none. It’s fair to say the Golden Turtle Tangerine has completely disappeared.” Qiu Maonian, a 57-year-old former villager, explained that generations of families in Jinguizhen Village have been growing tangerines. In earlier times, there were seven natural villages, and nearly every household depended on tangerines for their livelihood. When the tangerines were ripe, the mountains were covered in orange hues, and the areas around homes glowed golden — a truly beautiful sight. Qiu Maonian said: “Ever since I can remember, I’ve seen my grandfather and father growing tangerines. Our family managed over 10 mu (about 0.67 hectares) of mountain land, and at its peak, we harvested over 40,000 jin of Golden Turtle Tangerines annually. Some families produced as much as 60,000 jin. Sales weren’t a problem back then — the city food company would purchase them directly, and they were also exported to Hong Kong and Southeast Asia. The Golden Turtle Tangerine was well-known both domestically and internationally.”

　　According to records, Golden Turtle Tangerines were known for their relatively large size, sweet and juicy flesh, abundant juice, and vibrant color — all of which made them highly favored by consumers. Even government agencies would send representatives to purchase them specifically. In the early 1960s, they were exported to Hong Kong at a price of 0.28 yuan per jin, and by the early 1980s, the price had risen to over one yuan per jin. The Golden Turtle Tangerine was one of the main fruit varieties exported for foreign exchange earnings by the former Pingshan Town, and it was quite popular in the international market.

　　Jinguizhen Village is mostly mountainous with little arable land, leading to insufficient food production that had to be supplemented with state-allocated grain. There were also many wild boars, which would eat crops as soon as they ripened. “To protect our crops, the village organized wild boar hunts. I personally hunted over 30 wild boars,” recalled Qiu Weiguang, head of the Pingtouling residents’ group, a natural village located on Pingtouling Mountain at an altitude of over 300 meters, where households traditionally relied on citrus cultivation for their livelihood. Qiu Weiguang’s family grew over 10 mu of tangerines, harvesting over 10,000 jin annually, while the Qiu Dongxi family had the highest yield, reaching 40,000–50,000 jin. Before visiting Jinguizhen Village, multiple sources had left us disappointed: Golden Turtle Tangerines were proving very hard to find. But we were determined — even if just one tree remained, we had to find it. Guided by Pingshan Subdistrict office staff, we traveled south along the Pingkui Highway, turned left into a mountain pass, and then hiked up a mountain path to successively visit the natural villages formerly under Jinguizhen Village’s jurisdiction — Banba Village, Tiazuo Village, and Pingtouling Village. We spoke with several former villagers about the Golden Turtle Tangerine, and they all unanimously replied: “They’re gone.” We found a few tangerine trees in a lychee orchard in front of Tiazuo Village and were elated — but the locals told us these were not Golden Turtle Tangerines, but other varieties. Our hopes sank. Continuing upward, our perseverance finally paid off when we spotted over ten Golden Turtle Tangerine trees in a small mountain hollow. Counting them, there were 18. But their condition was disheartening: the ground was overgrown with weeds, most leaves were yellowed, some branches were already dried out, and the trees seemed to be in their twilight years, nearing the end of their lives.

　　Walking along a steep dirt path toward Pingtouling at an altitude of over 300 meters, after about 200 meters, we spotted scattered Golden Turtle Tangerines nestled within the weeds and shrubs on both sides of the path — but the scene was equally bleak. Most were either dead stumps or withered trees, with a few barely clinging to life. Climbing another steep slope, we discovered another cluster of tangerine trees in a hollow, also abandoned. Their branches were either dried or broken, with a few sickly yellow leaves trembling pitifully in the wind, ready to fall. Parting the bushes, we finally spotted three trees bearing a small number of fruits — and we were ecstatic. But upon closer inspection, the fruits were small, not as brightly colored as those we’d seen before, and the tangerine peels were somewhat wrinkled. Local villagers said these trees hadn’t been tended to in years, and the fruits they bore were small, sour, and unpleasant to eat.

　　The situation atop Pingtouling Village at over 300 meters elevation was even more dismal. In a flat area near the village, all the tangerine trees had withered. Several particularly large trees were smothered by the plant killer known as mile-a-minute vine (Mikania micrantha), their branches completely dried out. Qiu Weiguang, the residents’ group leader, said: “These trees have been here since I was a child — at least 50 years old. In their prime, a single tree could yield 400–500 jin, but now they’ve met the same tragic fate. The once-glorious Golden Turtle Tangerine has vanished without a trace.” As he spoke, a hint of sorrow crossed the face of the former village chief.

　　Chemical Fertilizers Spoiled the Brand — Local Specialties Deserve Protection

　　Why has Shenzhen’s famous local specialty, the Golden Turtle Tangerine, met such a tragic fate and is now on the verge of disappearing from the world stage? Qiu Weiguang explained that the type of fertilizer used in citrus cultivation is crucial. In the past, villagers used organic manure, which produced delicious tangerines, helped maintain the prestige of the Golden Turtle Tangerine brand, and extended the lifespan of the trees. After the 1980s, however, villagers began using chemical fertilizers, which led to soil degradation, deterioration of the Golden Turtle Tangerine variety, and gradual reduction in fruit size and sweetness. People stopped buying them, sales declined, and growers gradually lost interest, causing the cultivation area to shrink. With the onset of rural urbanization and land transfers to state ownership, the government compensated for surface attachments, but the citrus trees no longer belonged to the villagers, and the Golden Turtle Tangerines were completely abandoned. Last year, Pingtouling Village still harvested a few thousand jin of Golden Turtle Tangerines, but this year, there’s almost nothing — and even the few fruits that do appear on some trees are inedible. The Golden Turtle Tangerine is on the brink of vanishing. Qiu Maonian, a former villager, offered another reason: after the 1980s, Shenzhen began heavily cultivating lychees and longans. At their peak prices, lychees sold for dozens of yuan per jin, whereas Golden Turtle Tangerines still fetched just over one yuan per jin. In comparison, villagers switched en masse to planting lychees and longans. His family had originally grown over 10 mu of Golden Turtle Tangerines, but later converted entirely to lychees and longans. Qiu Weiguang lamented: “Nowadays, most tangerines sold in markets are Sugar Orange. Our local Shenzhen specialty, the Golden Turtle Tangerine, has completely disappeared — it’s truly a shame.” Experts pointed out that the disappearance of the Golden Turtle Tangerine stems from multiple factors, but as one of the region’s local specialties, measures should be taken to protect it.