'Hometown of Chinese Cherries' embraces harvest

Fushan district, Yantai in East China's Shandong province, which is known as the "Hometown of Chinese Cherries", boasts captivating scenery in May. It has a vast area of cherry orchards, branches laden with abundant fruit, reflecting the joyous faces of the farmers beneath the trees.

A farmer picks cherries in the Fushan orchard. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Fushan district has expanded its cherry cultivation area to 110,000 mu (7,333 hectares), with a yield of approximately 90,000 metric tons in total. With over 40 varieties spanning the early, mid, and late ripening stages, the district's cherry sector has generated around 1.8 billion yuan ($250 million) in output. The regional public brand value exceeds 2.8 billion yuan.

A farmer picks cherries in the Fushan orchard. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

In 1871, the first batch of cherry trees in Fushan were planted by the missionaries from the United States, including 10 cherry varieties brought from the US. Located in low hills near the coast, Fushan benefits from a unique environment ideal for cherry growth, making it one of the world's best regions for cherries. Its fertile soil, known as "naturally high-calcium sandy loam", is rich in elements like calcium, iron, phosphorus, and potassium, providing ample nutrition for cherry trees.

After over a decade of development, the scale of cherry cultivation continues to expand, with increasingly mature cultivation techniques and improved product quality leading to increases in farmers' incomes.