Citrus appeal in 'Chu oranges'

Updated: 2015-10-27 07:45

By Liu Zhihua (China Daily)

The "Chu orange" gets its name from the legendary orchard owner Chu Shijian. Chu oranges are small, but have thinner peel, more juice, less pulp and stronger flavor. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Eventually Chu's orchard crew refined their growing procedures to maximize taste and yield, and began to produce, on a large scale, fruits that were sweet and juicy fruits with the lowest pulp level, thinnest peel, and just enough tartness.

By 2010, Yun Guan oranges were already very popular in Kunming, the capital city of Yunnan, and in 2012 Chu's creation attracted the attention of Benlai.com.

The website launched a campaign to promote the oranges, highlighting the ups and downs of Chu's life, and instantly, consumers flooded to the website to buy the fruits. About 20 tons were sold out in less than four days.

Because of Chu's compelling story, fans began to ignore the official brand name Yun Guan and simply called the fruits "Chu oranges". In 2014, Chu officially registered the trademark "Chu Orange".

Now the orchard has expanded to more than 5,000 hectares, with about 2,500 hectares now mature enough to bear fruits. To take care of the orange trees, the orchard hires about 200 farmer couples, who earn more than 100,000 yuan a year, according to Ma.

People now call Chu "the orange king".

Tastes of the sea