Thousands enjoy Yangbi Walnut Festival in SW China’s Yunnan

The opening ceremony of 2019 Yangbi Walnut Festival is held under an ancient walnut tree with a history of more than 1,000 years.

Tourists from around the globe flocked to Yangbi Yi Autonomous County in southwest China’s Yunnan Province to enjoy local culture and scenery at the 2019 Yangbi Walnut Festival, which kicked off on Sept. 1.

Exhibitions and sales of local walnuts, as well as a series of activities, were held during the 2019 Yangbi Walnut Festival. More than 10 well-known walnut companies showcased their products at the exhibition.

The government of Yangbi Yi Autonomous County signed nine cooperation agreements with seven enterprises at a project signing ceremony of investment promotion held during the festival, with the planned cooperation covering such areas as comprehensive utilization of solid waste, planting, and cultivation of Chinese herbal medicine, featured agricultural industries, and product delivery.

According to a credible source, the planned investment from the seven enterprises totaled over 5 billion yuan.

A walnut peeling contest, an international food festival held in Shimenguan scenic spot, and a hiking contest on the Yunnan-Myanmar Road were held to add flavor and fun to this year’s Yangbi Walnut Festival.

Performance at the opening ceremony of the 2019 Yangbi Walnut Festival.

Additionally, an art troupe from southeast China’s Taiwan province and some local people from ethnic minorities in gorgeous festival costumes performed memorable songs and dances.

“This place is so beautiful. It has clear waters and green mountains, and so many walnut trees,” said the head of the art troupe from Taiwan, adding “this year marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. I hope our motherland will get stronger and everyone can live a happy life and enjoy a brighter future”.

It’s hoped that the walnut festival can serve as a platform for cooperation and exchanges between the local people and investors, said Yang Yu, secretary of the Communist Party of China Yangbi Yi Autonomous County Committee, noting that he hopes more people can visit Yangbi and seek business opportunities in the county.

Yangbi Yi Autonomous County has long been renowned for its walnuts. Walnut trees were first found in the county 3,000 years ago, while the local people started to artificially cultivate walnut trees over 1,000 years ago. The county currently owns 180,000 walnut trees that are more than 100 years old.

The cultivated area of walnut trees in Yangbi Yi Autonomous County has reached 1.1 million mu (about 71,333 hectares), producing nearly 50,000 tonnes of walnuts and generating about 1 billion yuan (about $140.76 million) in revenue.

Performance at the opening ceremony of the 2019 Yangbi Walnut Festival.

The government of Yangbi Yi Autonomous County signs cooperation agreements with seven companies during the 2019 Yangbi Walnut Festival, with the total investment exceeding 5 billion yuan.