Yili Apples

Yili Apples

Yili Apples is a geographical indication certification trademark.

　　Yili is one of the birthplaces of the world's apples, and to this day, over 140,000 acres of wild apple forests still remain. The Ili River was called the "Yila River" during the Yuan Dynasty, meaning "Yila Apple." There are now more than 100 varieties, with famous local cultivars including Aport, Hongmengpaisi, and Jintagan. Aport, also known as Hadaguozi, features a large fruit shape, attractive color, and a broad conical or round form. The average fruit weight is 300 grams, with the largest reaching up to 800 grams. The skin is smooth, with a yellow-green base color and bright red thick stripes or entirely flushed with crimson. The flesh is yellow-white, crisp in texture, juicy, sweet and sour, and refreshing to eat. Hongmengpaisi is an early-ripening variety, flat-round in shape, light yellow-green with a red blush, weighing about 120 grams. Its flesh is white, crisp, juicy, and sweet. Jintagan, also known as Huaqingguozi, has a conical or fan-shaped form, a yellow-green base color with red blush and purplish-red intermittent stripes, weighing about 120 grams. The flesh is yellow-white, fine and sandy in texture, juicy, and aromatic. Yili apples have a neat shape, lower acidity compared to similar mainland varieties, and are richer in vitamins and sugars. Yili Guoguang apples contain up to 14.3% sugar content, with around 2 mg of beta-carotene per kilogram, 3–4 grams of protein, 2–3 grams of fat, 110–120 grams of carbohydrates, about 1 gram of ash, 50–100 mg of calcium, 30–40 mg of phosphorus, approximately 3 mg of iron, and 9–11 mg of ascorbic acid—making them highly nutritious.

　　　　The flesh is yellow-white, crisp in texture, juicy, sweet and sour, and refreshing to eat. Apples, known as the "king of fruits" or the "beauty among fruits," were cultivated and propagated in Xinjiang as early as the Han and Tang dynasties. Nowadays, Xinjiang is abundant in apple production, with the vast majority of counties and districts planting large numbers of apple trees. Apple cultivation area is second only to that of grapes.

　　　　Among Xinjiang’s apples, Yili apples are the most renowned. Yili enjoys the reputation of being the "hometown of apples." The valley has a long history of apple cultivation, with superior varieties and abundant yields. Some of its premium varieties are rarely seen elsewhere in China. For example, the Lü'ao variety, a hybrid of Indian and Huangyuanshuai cultivars, can weigh over half a kilogram each. Yili-grown apples such as Huangyuanshuai, Guoguang, and Wuxing are well known for their color, taste, and shape. Not only do they have excellent color and high sugar content, but they are also resistant to storage and can be kept until the next year when new fruit comes to market.