Jinjiang Golden Orange

Jinjiang Golden Orange

　　Jinjiang Golden Oranges are oval-shaped, resembling goose eggs, which is why locals also call them "goose egg tangerines."

　　Golden oranges are grown in many places, but only the Panzhihua Golden Oranges stand out—not only for their thin skin, excellent quality, abundant juice, tender and smooth pulp with a fragrant aroma—but also for their unique mildly tangy flavor, which has made them famous far and wide. The Chongqing Commodity Inspection Bureau, once a major citrus-producing hub, conducted a special evaluation of Panzhihua Golden Oranges and concluded that they are indeed a premium variety of oranges.

　　Longtime train attendants who frequently travel to Panzhihua, as well as business travelers, always return from the harvest season with bags and baskets full of Jinjiang Golden Oranges. A seasoned fruit connoisseur described the Jinjiang Golden Orange as follows: “Tangerines should be sweet, but the best ones have a touch of tartness. This tartness refers to a slight acidity within the sweetness—distinct on the palate, yet vanishing upon chewing, lingering subtly between the lips and teeth, leaving a memorable aftertaste.” And only the Jinjiang Golden Orange achieves this perfect flavor balance.

　　It is Panzhihua’s unique topography and climate that have created this distinctive fruit treasure. In river valleys and low mountainous areas below 1,500 meters above sea level, abundant sunlight and heat provide ideal growing conditions for Golden Oranges. Grown in these superior natural surroundings, the oranges are not only of high quality but also ripen earlier. They typically mature about a month ahead of Golden Orange producers in other parts of Sichuan Province, giving Jinjiang Golden Oranges a strong competitive edge in both domestic and international markets. From 1977 to 1979, for three consecutive years, the Panzhihua Foreign Trade Company organized early sales of some Jinjiang Golden Oranges in the Hong Kong market in early October. The oranges sold at high prices and were wildly popular, earning high praise in Hong Kong where they were dubbed “a hidden gem unrecognized by the world.” Buyers rushed to place orders. This situation drew significant attention from China’s State Foreign Trade Bureau, which issued special directives to plan for the development of a 10,000-mu export base for Golden Oranges in Panzhihua.