Expats explore the sweetness of summer in Yangshan town

Famous nationwide for being remarkably sweet, succulent and tender, Yangshan honey peaches are delivered to cities such as Shanghai and Shenzhen from the local peach trading market. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]

 

A group of foreigners from around the world visited Wuxi's Yangshan town on Sunday to get an insight into the sweet-tasting Yangshan honey peaches.

After taking a tour of one of the towns numerous peach orchards, expats noticed the peaches wrapped in newspaper.

 

Wu Yueqing has been cultivating peaches in Yangshan for more than 30 years. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]

 

"The heavy rains in recent days caused some of the peaches to fall from the trees," said Wu Yueqing, a farmer who has been cultivating peach trees in the town for more than 30 years.

"We wrapped the peaches up in newspaper to protect them from insects and keep their natural color from pollution," he added.

 

Expats can't resist to sample the delicious peaches at an orchard in Yangshan town. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]

Under the guidance of the experienced farmers, the group was invited to search for ripe peaches and tuck into them.

"What a sweet aroma!" said Ezzi Weston, a student at Jiangnan University from the Caribbean nation of Antigua and Barbuda, after sampling a freshly-picked peach.

After learning about cultivation methods, the group got a close look at the production process of the famous brand of fruit. While touring a market specially built by the local government for the peach trade, they were invited to have a go at packaging the peaches to prepare them for sale.

"Having [the peach] straight off the tree is a different experience than buying it in the stores or getting it from the street. It's more of what I'm accustomed to, being from a country where we cultivate a lot; it brings me closer to home more than anything else," said Brent Parker from Antigua and Barbuda.