Chu Oranges

The story of Chu Oranges is very captivating, firstly because of the legendary life story of its founder, Chu Shijian, and secondly because of the quality of the Chu Oranges themselves. Though they are agricultural products like any other, few have embraced agricultural modernization in the way Chu Oranges have. The estate is located on the Ailao Mountain. What was originally just a planting base has now become a must-visit tourist destination in Xinping.

The Chu Orange Estate is located in Gasa Town, Xinping County, Yuxi City, 240 kilometers from the provincial capital Kunming. The drive takes about three hours and 20 minutes. The first 120 kilometers are on a highway and take roughly one hour and 20 minutes, while the next 120 kilometers on a third-tier road take around two hours. This stretch offers beautiful views of the Ailao Mountain scenery along the way.

In the spring of 2013, the construction of the "Chu Orange Estate" project officially commenced. The newly built Chu Orange Estate consists of five sections: the hotel area, agritainment area, ecological farming area, leisure fishing area, and fruit orchard area. Among these, the hotel area, agritainment area, and leisure fishing area are the key construction focuses.

The Chu Orange Estate is divided into two parts. The new building at the mountaintop can accommodate business conferences and high-end tourists, with a maximum capacity of 80 guests staying simultaneously. The mid-mountain section includes a primarily agritainment-style restaurant, where every dish is sourced from the wild fields and streams of the Ailao Mountains. Leveraging the Chu Orange Estate as a foundation, an eco-tourism attraction has been developed here, integrating functions such as cultural display, conference reception, tourism training, and leisure sightseeing.

Chu Orange Company was established on June 17, 2003, with a registered capital of 18.75 million yuan. It is located in Xinzhai and Yingzhai Liangzi, Gasa Town, Xinping County, Yunnan Province, covering a planting area of 2,400 mu and cultivating 300,000

sugar orange trees. The company currently has 247 employees, including 213 production staff and 34 management, technical, and service personnel.

        The area surrounding the company’s base enjoys extensive forest coverage and a superior ecological environment. There are no residential villages within a five-kilometer radius, and no industrial or mining enterprises within 20 kilometers. The surroundings are beautiful with fresh air,

earning it the reputation of a “natural greenhouse.” The base infrastructure is sound, complete, and standardized. All fruit trees are planted on high-grade terraces with slopes of 10–15°, terrace widths of 2–5 meters, and terrace heights of 1–1.5 meters. Irrigation water is drawn from the naturally flowing mountain springs of the Ailao Mountains, which are clean and make this region the most suitable for sweet orange cultivation in the South Asian tropical zone.

The terraced fields are irrigated with clean spring water naturally flowing from the Ailao Mountains, making it one of the most suitable regions in the South Asian tropical zone for growing sweet oranges.

        The sugar oranges are cultivated according to principles of ecology, greenness, and premium quality. The irrigation water used is entirely from the pristine mountain springs of the Ailao Mountain Nature Reserve. All fertilizers applied are organic.

Due to its unique geographical advantages and cultivation and management model, the resulting sugar oranges feature golden-yellow skin, thin rinds, glossy surfaces, sweet flavors, abundant juice, minimal or no seeds, and a high rate of easy juiciness. They offer an excellent taste and significantly superior quality compared to those from other regions. The product is sold to major cities such as Beijing, Jiangsu, Anhui, Shenzhen, Guangdong, and Kunming, where it is highly favored by consumers and holds considerable influence both within and outside the province.

The oranges have a high yield, excellent taste, and superior quality compared to those from other areas. The products are sold to major cities such as Beijing, Jiangsu, Anhui, Shenzhen, Guangdong, and Kunming, where they are very popular among consumers. Within the province,

In 2011, the sugar orange yield reached 8,000 tons, with a production value of 35.48 million yuan. In November 2004, it was awarded the China Green Food Development Center’s Grade A Green Food Product Certificate after being tested by the Ministry of Agriculture's Agricultural Products Quality Supervision and Inspection Testing Center. In October 2005, it passed the ISO quality system certification. In 2009, the trademark was recognized as a Yunnan Provincial Famous Trademark. In 2010,

it was rated as a Municipal-Level Agricultural Leading Enterprise.

it has been recognized as a municipal-level leading agricultural enterprise.