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Sichuan county to hold megranate festival 

By Huang Zhiling (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2009-06-25 20:21

Huili county in the Liangshan Yi autonomous prefecture of Sichuan province will host its first international megranate festival from September 6 to 7.

Events include a grand opening, a firework evening, the selection of the world's largest megranate, a food fair, tourism and investment promotion.

The festival is aimed at making Huili known to the world, said deputy county magistrate Zhang Wei.

Located at the juncture of Sichuan and Yunnan provinces, Huili has a history of 2,120 years and 22 ethnic groups such as Han and Yi.

Hui abounds in megranates. In the Tang Dynasty (AD618-907), they were sent to the royal family as the tribute.

As China's largest megranate county, Huili's megranate sowing area is 11,000 hectares. Its annual output is 77,000 tons. Megranates are sold to East Europe, Southeast Asia and the Middle East.