In Qujiang district, Quzhou, East China's Zhejiang province, late autumn heralds a bountiful harvest of ponkan tangerines.

With over 1,400 years of tangerine cultivation history, Qujiang district is dubbed "Hometown of Ponkan Tangerines" and is transforming its traditional tangerine industry by focusing on the industry development of chenpi, a dried, aged tangerine peel, which has long been a premium medicinal ingredient distributed nationwide.

Qujiang's rich tangerine resources include 2,800 hectares of ponkan orchards, yielding over 100,000 metric tons annually, with chenpi production exceeding 2,500 tons — half of the city's total output.

Historically reliant on fresh fruit sales, the district is now extending the value chain through chenpi production, boosting local economic growth and increasing the incomes of local farmers.

Various chenpi-based products are displayed. [Photo/Tide News]

The Quzhou Chenpi Science and Innovation Industrial Park, opened in November 2024, spans 17,000 square meters. It aims to create a comprehensive service system for the chenpi industry on establishing industrial standards, planting, protecting, processing, storing, testing, certifying, and researching its history.

With 800,000 ponkan trees over 30 years old, Qujiang is capable of producing high-quality chenpi.

In the next five years, the industrial park plans to develop a Good Agricultural Practices-standardized ponkan planting base of over 660 hectares, targeting an annual output of 10,000 tons and a value exceeding 1 billion yuan ($140.59 million).

Visitors can explore the newly unveiled Qujiang Ancient Tree Chenpi Ecological Park. This site showcases the district's chenpi industry, offering hands-on experiences like ponkan picking and chenpi tea-making.