Zhongxian Citrus

Zhongxian Citrus

Zhongxian Citrus is a protected geographical indication product.

　　Zhongxian County has been officially named "China’s Citrus City" by the state, and the municipal party committee has clearly put forward the goal of building a first-class "China Citrus City." To promote Zhongzhou, in April 2008, Zhongxian held the first Zhongxian Citrus Festival in the Chongqing Three Gorges Reservoir Area, which achieved good results. In order to make the Citrus Festival a signature event for the county, Zhongxian proposed holding the festival annually in April during the rare spectacle of citrus “blossoms and fruit on the same tree.” Preparations for the second Citrus Festival began in October 2008. In 2009, after Zhongxian put forth the concept of “half-city landscape, city-full of citrus,” it caught the attention of the State Council’s Three Gorges Project Construction Committee, the Chongqing Municipal Party Committee, and the Chongqing Municipal Government. Masters from both China and abroad gathered in Zhongzhou to contribute creative ideas for the development of the county’s cultural tourism industry. Moreover, the development of Zhongxian’s citrus industry had gradually reached a stage where it was poised for rapid advancement. Therefore, Zhongxian decided to elevate the Citrus Festival to a higher level by integrating “half-city culture,” folk culture, historical culture, and market culture, promoting the slogan “half-city landscape, city-full of citrus,” enhancing the county’s reputation, and making “Zhongzhou” known across the nation and around the world. This would attract the convergence of people, goods, and capital, and create a platform for local employment, entrepreneurship, and wealth generation. As a result, the Zhongxian Citrus Festival was upgraded to the China Citrus Culture Festival.

　　The Zhongxian citrus industry was established in 1997. Over the past 12 years, Zhongxian has adhered to the development model of modern agriculture and focused on key aspects of the citrus industry. It has built the largest factory-based citrus virus-free container seedling base in the country; cumulatively developed 180,000 mu of citrus orchards, benefiting 16 towns and townships, over 50,000 farming households, and nearly 140,000 fruit growers. The county has also built a National Citrus Seedling Virus-Free Center, a National Citrus Variety Improvement Center, the National Fruit Tree Germplasm Repository (Chongqing) Citrus Repository, and the Ministry of Agriculture Citrus and Seedling Quality Supervision, Inspection, and Testing Center. The first NFC orange juice processing line in the Asia-Pacific region, capable of processing 50,000 tons of citrus per year and producing 24,000 tons of orange juice annually, has been established, becoming a "National NFC Orange Juice Demonstration Production Line." The first independently produced juice brand in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area, "Paisenbai NFC Orange Juice," meets all international standards and has been recognized by authoritative institutions in Japan and Germany. Numerous overseas companies, including those from Japan, the United States, Switzerland, and Hong Kong, have shown strong interest and requested large quantities to be packaged under their own brands. The American company Fresh Del Monte has been introduced, and its fresh fruit processing line for the processing plant has been completed and went into use in late April 2009. By the end of the year, the first concentrated juice production line with an annual capacity of 180,000 tons will be completed. Zhongxian has been successively named a "National Agricultural (Citrus) Standardization Demonstration County," a "National Agricultural Tourism Demonstration Site," and in November 2008, was designated as "China’s Citrus City" by the China Fruit Marketing Association.

　　The development goal of Zhongxian’s citrus industry is: by 2012, to achieve 300,000 mu of standardized citrus orchards, generate an annual output value of 3 billion yuan, reach a processing capacity of 300,000 tons, help 300,000 fruit growers become prosperous, achieve profits and taxes of 300 million yuan, construct a "100-li Citrus Corridor," complete the core area of "China’s Citrus City," and establish Zhongxian as the central citrus region in Chongqing. By 2017, the goal is to develop 500,000 mu of standardized citrus orchards, complete the construction of "China’s Citrus City," reach an annual output value of 5 billion yuan, achieve a processing capacity of 500,000 tons, help 500,000 fruit growers become prosperous, and generate profits and taxes of 500 million yuan. These efforts will lay a solid foundation for developing Zhongxian into Chongqing’s largest modern ecological agriculture demonstration zone, a specialized agricultural product processing park, a national-level eco-tourism sightseeing park, and Asia’s largest NFC fresh cold orange juice raw material processing base—thereby establishing Zhongxian as a "first-class China Citrus City."

　　“Half-city landscape, city-full of citrus; one prefecture of loyalty, spirit of the nation.” Leading the construction of an inland open ecological economic highland through the integration of the four elements—culture, tourism, creativity, and industry—Zhongxian adheres to scientific planning, highlights the “half-city,” promotes Zhongzhou, and markets the city. By optimizing the environment and “cleansing” to attract investment, the county coordinates the integrated development of primary, secondary, and tertiary industries. Where agriculture is suitable, agriculture thrives; where industry fits, industry prospers; where culture excels, culture flourishes; where commerce is viable, commerce grows. Creative elements are infused into agriculture and industry to develop and expand modern agriculture and industrial clusters, enriching the connotation of cultural tourism and creative industries. This allows visitors to the reservoir area to not only experience Zhongxian’s “half-city landscape, city-full of citrus,” but also connects surrounding districts and counties’ scenic spots to promote coordinated regional development, collaborative innovation, shared prosperity, and mutual benefits.

　　The protected geographical indication product area for Zhongxian Citrus includes the current administrative regions of 16 towns and townships in Zhongxian County, Chongqing: Shuanggui Town, Xinli Town, Bashan Town, Huaqiao Town, Yongfeng Town, Shibao Town, Huangjin Town, Zhongzhou Town, Xinsheng Town, Renjia Town, Fuxing Town, Dongxi Town, Wuyang Town, Yangdu Town, Tu Jing Township, and Mozi Township.