Savor the sweetness of autumn with pears

Pears are the perfect fruit for autumn. China is the world's largest pear producer, producing 19.27 million tonnes in 2022. The country's pear production is nearly five times that of the combined output of the second to 10th-largest pear-producing nations. Major pear-producing regions in China include Hebei, Henan, Anhui, Shanxi, Liaoning provinces, and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

Pears are the most representative fruit in Anhui Province in eastern China. In 2022, the province produced 1.35 million tonnes of pears, representing over one-third of the province's total fruit production. Pears grown in orchards along a former course of the Yellow River in Dangshan county of Anhui are known for their large sizes, small cores, pleasing shapes, thin peels, and juicy, crisp, and sweet taste.

People in Dangshan began growing pears at least 400 years ago. In the late 1950s, Dangshan initiated a sand control project, with pear trees being the most effective option for managing sandy soil due to their ecological and economic benefits. As a result, the cultivation of Suli pears, also known as crisp pears, flourished and spread across Dangshan.

Dangshan has approximately 500,000 mu (about 333 square kilometers) dedicated to pear cultivation, with 250,000 mu specifically designated for growing crisp pears. The brand value of Dangshan's crisp pears surpasses 19 billion yuan (about $2.71 billion), and the total output value of the entire industry chain exceeds 11 billion yuan.

Among the approximately 500,000 mu of pear orchards in Dangshan, more than 60,000 pear trees are over 100 years old, with one tree being more than 300 years old.

Dangshan enters the harvest season of Suli pears in mid to late September. Following a set rule, one-third of the Suli pears are harvested and sold immediately, one-third are stored in cold storage facilities for later sale, and one-third are processed into various products like pear syrup, juice, canned pears, pear wine, and pear vinegar.

(Photos by Guo Hao, Cui Meng, Bo Deheng)