A different kind of sweet

In the wet, green foothills that surround Guilin, one man has dedicated much of his life to cultivating a strange 'fruit', a natural sweetener that is wowing nutritionists worldwide. Fan Zhen goes into the hills of Yongfu county for the story.

As Fan Tianhuan offers his guests a round of light amber tea, he proudly explains that the infusion is made from the best quality Arhat fruit, or luohan guo, and as the guests take in the sweet scent of the tea, he tells them how he started growing it 37 years ago.

"My life has been interwoven with luohan guo since the first time I helped my father in the field in 1976," the 59-year-old suntanned farmer says. "Since it has so many health benefits, I believe it is my duty to introduce it to as many people as possible."