Pomelo harvest season arrives in Yuyao

Luscious pomelo hangs from a tree in Lianshuxia village, Simen town, Ningbo's Yuyao city. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The locals of Lianshuxia village love to exhort the quality of their pomelo fruit - the large Asian citrus that's closely related to the grapefruit, which tastes similar to it but is sweeter and contains several vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that make a healthy addition to the diet.

"Our pomelo sells well and everyone who has eaten them says they taste great," said Wang Hongbiao, Party chief of Lianshuxia village.

In contrast to the common pomelo on the market, the fruit produced from Lianshuxia in Simen town, Ningbo's Yuyao city has a more tender and juicy taste, despite its less engaging appearance, which is regarded as being insufficiently round and with a rough skin to boot.

The pomelo orchards  in Lianshuxia now covers about 100 mu (6.7 hectares), accounting for a third of the area of fruit being cultivated in the village, producing about 20,000 kilograms annually.

Proud locals say its outstanding taste lures countless buyers to the village every year. 

"This year's pomelo is almost sold out, except some hanging from the trees, which are saved to be eaten by us,"  said Zhang Yuanxiang, a farmer from the village.