Shiping Citrus

Shiping Citrus

　　Citrus has been cultivated in the vast rural areas of Shiping for a long history, yet the varieties had long gone without improvement, and production remained on a small scale, failing to develop into an industry. In 1984, the local science and technology authorities grafted high-quality citrus scions from other regions onto traditional local rootstocks to improve the varieties. This breeding effort successfully produced excellent new citrus cultivars. These were then extensively cultivated in contiguous plantings of nearly 50,000 acres along the northern shore of Yilong Lake and in towns such as Baoxiu, Daqiao, and Baxin, forming a key industry that enriched locals and strengthened the county’s economy. The orchards also added a beautiful new sight to the hometown of top imperial examination scholars.

The fruits of Shiping citrus are large, plump, juicy, sweet, and richly fragrant, offering a refreshing taste that benefits the lungs. Among them, varieties such as ponkan, navel orange, and fengdong citrus stand out for their particularly outstanding quality, having won first prize twice at national food expos. In 1992, the Citrus Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences evaluated the productivity and quality of Shiping citrus, concluding: “Shiping is within the most ecologically suitable zone for citrus cultivation, and its fruit quality is second to none.” A senior expert from the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, after visiting Shiping’s 10,000-acre citrus base, was so astonished that he claimed he would need to revise his citrus research publications. It was the first time he had encountered such high-quality citrus being grown in southern Yunnan’s Shiping—a phenomenon he had never heard of before. In February 1995, several foreign experts from the Sino-American Cultural Exchange Center visited Shiping. Upon seeing the large size of the citrus fruits, they initially thought they were handicrafts and hesitated to eat them. After tasting, however, they were full of praise, and before leaving, they asked the county government to give each of them a citrus fruit as a souvenir. The excellence of Shiping citrus is evident from this.

In November 1994, Governor He Zhiqiang visited Shiping’s 10,000-acre citrus orchards and praised the area as the “Hometown of Citrus.” From October each year to January of the following year, the Yilong Lake area, Baoxiu Town, and the vast ecological citrus orchards of Daqiao are laden with fruit and bustling with visitors. As the saying goes: Such a sight exists only in paradise—Shiping citrus reigns supreme in southern Yunnan.