Visitors pick grapes in Qingxi village, Jinhua, Zhejiang province. [Photo/jinhua.com.cn]
Qingxi village in Yiwu county-level city, Jinhua, Zhejiang province, recently welcomed a thriving harvest at its Shine Muscat grape orchard.
Plump emerald-green clusters now hang from the vines, exuding a subtle rose fragrance, drawing crowds of visitors to pick and taste the fruit.
Shine Muscat grapes are a premium variety known for their sweet flavor and fragrance.
"This year, we cultivated 15 mu (1 hectare) of the variety, with a yield of about 2,000 kilograms per mu and a price of 30 yuan ($4.18) per kilogram," said Cheng Qinfang, head of the orchard.
Despite standard yields exceeding 3,000 kg per mu, the orchard conducts output controls to ensure the quality and flavor.
Additionally, the orchard replaces chemical fertilizers with organic alternatives during cultivation. "We introduced microbial fermentation technology to use fermented soy milk as fertilizer, which gives the grapes a strong rose fragrance after maturity," said Cheng Bin, Party secretary of the village.
The harvest period lasts until late September. Qingxi village also cooperated with the Maxi River Raft project in Qianchuan village to offer a package covering rafting and grape-picking.
In recent years, the fruit-picking tourism in Qingxi village has gained popularity in Yiwu and neighboring areas. "From cherries and raspberries in May to waxberries and grapes, fruit is abundant in our village all year round," Cheng Bin said.
