Starting in May, Huazhou, a county-level city in Maoming, Guangdong province, welcomes the harvest season of Huajuhong (Citrus medica var. sarcodactylis), a traditional Chinese medicinal herb renowned for its distinctive therapeutic properties.
Huajuhong fruits hanging from the branches.
At a 1,000-mu (approximately 67 hectares) Huajuhong plantation in Guanyinling, Zhongdong Town, lush citrus groves stretch across the rolling landscape, their branches heavy with plump, ripening fruits.
Farmers return home with the joy of a bountiful harvest.
Zhongdong Town has designated Huajuhong cultivation as a key industry for driving rural revitalization. By adopting a "cooperative + base + farmer" model, the town has integrated over 1,200 mu (80 hectares) of land and involved more than 300 local households. This year, fresh fruit yields reached 800 kilograms per mu (about 0.0667 hectares), with total output expected to surpass 10 million yuan ($1.38 million), boosting household incomes by over 20,000 yuan on average.
Baskets are filled to the brim with freshly picked Huajuhong.
In northern Huazhou, the Huajuhong harvest is in full swing, with trucks lining up at busy procurement stations nestled at the foot of the mountains. The city now cultivates over 130,000 mu (about 8,667 hectares) of Huajuhong, supported by more than 1,500 enterprises across planting, processing, and sales. With over 200 derivative products—including health supplements and beverages—the industry's annual output has surpassed 11.5 billion yuan, creating jobs for 350,000 residents and solidifying its role in rural revitalization.
Reporter: Yang Jianxiong
Photo: Chen Yangguan, Dong Tianzhong
Editor: Liu Lingzhi, James, Shen He
