Yangshan Honey Peaches

Yangshan Honey Peaches

　　Wuxi is one of China’s four major peach-producing regions, with the Yangshan area being the main hub for Wuxi honey peaches. The history of peach cultivation in Yangshan spans over 800 years, as evidenced by an inscription on the Lüxu Bridge built in the third year of the Baoding era during the Southern Song Dynasty, which reads: “Rows of duck-like stones stretch across the clouds, amid peach blossoms that blush the riverbanks.” The Wanli-era Annals of Wuxi County·Local Products records: “Among fruits, there are plums, apricots, and peaches....” According to the Annals of Wuxi County, in the early years of the Republic of China, the Fu’an Township (including present-day Yangshan, Hudai, and other towns) had numerous privately owned farms cultivating peach trees in large plots. Successful introductions were made from Fenghua in Zhejiang, Feicheng in Shandong, and Japan, including varieties such as White Flat Flat Peach, Jade Dew Honey Peach, Little Red Flower, White Phoenix, and White Flower. In the 1920s, cultivation expanded in the low hilly areas around Yangshan and Hudai, with Yangshan becoming the primary production zone—giving rise to the name “Yangshan Honey Peaches.” These peaches are large in size, juice-dripping sweet, and richly fragrant. By 1945 (the 34th year of the Republic of China), the peach planting area had grown to over 4,000 mu, with an annual yield exceeding 2,000 tons, widely sold in Shanghai, Suzhou, Changzhou, Nanjing, and renowned throughout the Shanghai-Nanjing corridor. Peach farmers in Yangshan even affixed their own orchard trademarks to the fruit baskets for sale (over sixty years ago, Yangshan already had trademarks for honey peaches, verified by a discovered “Gengsheng Brand” Jade Liquid Honey Peach trademark from Yangshan Town. This 32-page, yellow-toned trademark featured an image of a leafy peach and an old farmer leading a plow ox, with text reading “Gengsheng Trademark,” along with descriptions such as “Jade Liquid Peach tastes sweet and delicious, perfect for gifts to family and friends,” and “Address: At the foot of Changyao Mountain, Xin’du Bridge, Yangshan Peach Garden.” Research confirms this trademark was printed in the mid-1940s). By the mid-1950s, Yangshan’s honey peach orchards were widespread, covering 10,331 mu. Beyond supplying the local market, they dominated Shanghai’s fresh and processed peach markets. Yangshan honey peaches processed and canned by Shanghai’s Taikang Company were even exported abroad. Xindu (now the location of Yangshan Town)’s Xishanwan village saw every household prosper through peach cultivation, earning the nickname “Golden Mountain Bay.” From the early 1970s to the late 1980s, Yangshan honey peaches were exported annually to Hong Kong, Macau, and Singapore, peaking at 120 tons per year. By the mid-1990s, Yangshan accelerated the industrialization of honey peach production, building the Yangshan Honey Peach Market, establishing the Yangshan Honey Peach Growers Association, further expanding cultivation areas, improving production facilities, constructing orchard roads, and setting up demonstration and breeding experimental bases for peach tree production. Production technical regulations and quality standards for Yangshan honey peaches were formulated, initiating standardized management that continuously optimized cultivation techniques and quality structure while increasing both yield and quality. Cultivation area reached 32,000 mu.

　　Yangshan honey peaches have a long history and enjoy fame both in China and abroad. With their superior quality and unique flavor, they are beloved by consumers around the world.

　　Our town has registered the “Taihu Yangshan” honey peach trademark and built the Yangshan Honey Peach Market, covering an area of 10,000 square meters. During peak harvest season, merchants gather in large numbers, with daily transactions exceeding 50,000 kilograms. “Taihu Yangshan” honey peaches are marketed domestically and internationally via brokers, reaching households everywhere. In August 2000, the French Quality Director of the international supermarket chain Carrefour personally visited the Yangshan Honey Peach Market and orchards for an on-site inspection. After sampling and tasting the Yangshan honey peaches, he gave them a triple thumbs-up, praising their flavor and quality. (Wuxi)

　　Geographic Scope

　　The registered and protected cultivation area for Yangshan honey peaches is located within 28 administrative villages across three towns in Wuxi City: in Huishan District, Yangshan Town’s Yangshan Village, Taoyuan Village, Hongqiao Village, Puzhao Village, Taoyuan Village, Yincheng Village, Luqu Village, Anyangshan Village, Dongqing Village, Zhujidi Village, Guangming Village, 0 Village, Xindu Village, and Huojv Village; in Luoshe Town’s Runyang Village, Zhenbei Village, Fushan Village, Baojian Village, Huachi Village, Zhangzhenqiao, Hongming Village, Lühua Village, and Yangshi Community; and in Qianqiao Town’s Shengfeng Village, Nantang Village, Shaotang Village, Dongfeng Village, and Yangxi Village. The total cultivation area is 32,000 mu, with an annual yield of 48,000 tons in 2012. The geographic coordinates are: latitude 31°33′16″ to 31°40′58″; longitude 120°03′07″ to 120°11′34″.

　　Product Quality Characteristics

　　1. External Sensory Features: Yangshan honey peaches have flat or slightly indented tops with no prominent bumps; the base color of the skin is milky white or pale yellow, turning semi-transparent when fully ripe; they boast a rich aroma, tender and juicy flesh, high soluble solids content, and low titratable acid. The skin is easy to peel, often causing peach juice to drip upon removal; the flesh clings to the pit. 2. Internal Quality Indicators: Among the many peach varieties, Yangshan honey peaches stand out with their large size, beautiful color, intense fragrance, juicy sweetness, and unique flavor, celebrated across the region. The peach flesh contains ≥9% soluble solids and ≤6% titratable acid. When fully ripe, the peaches are extremely soft, and a single bite releases a burst of freshness, sweetness, and aroma, like nectar flowing into the heart. Authentic Yangshan honey peaches have flesh that clings to the pit, with fibers on the pit that are hard to clean off, while the skin can be easily peeled. 3. Safety Requirements: Product quality meets the standards for pollution-free agricultural products and green food. Safety indicators must comply with national regulations for similar products. The “Wuxi Honey Peach” and “Wuxi Honey Peach Production Technical Regulations” standards have been revised and approved by the Jiangsu Provincial Bureau of Quality and Technical Supervision in 2009. These two standards provide clear, quantified specifications for Yangshan honey peach grades, inspection methods, labeling, packaging, transportation, and storage.

Both Jiangsu’s Lakeview Honey Dew and Small Lakeview peaches originated in Yangshan, Wuxi.

Small Lakeview is a native Yangshan variety. The origin of Lakeview Honey Dew is unclear, and nowadays many varieties are called Lakeview Honey Dew, such as Medium Lakeview and Late Lakeview, with varying textures from soft to firm. Lakeview peaches color very well and can turn fully red without bags, but this doesn’t align with the aesthetic preferences of the Yangtze River Delta region. Therefore, local Lakeview peaches in Wuxi are bagged during cultivation and not unbagged before harvest, resulting in a white-peach-with-pink-blush appearance. In terms of flavor, Small Lakeview is the sweetest, with delicate flesh and a smaller size, though it is now rarely cultivated.