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Women pick water chestnuts at a farm in Youchegang town, Xiuzhou district. [Photo/cnjxol.com]

Nanhu Ling is a kind of water chestnut grown in Jiaxing's Nanhu Lake that is now widely planted in the city, becoming a cultural symbol of Jiaxing.

Currently, it is time to harvest the produce.

Water chestnut picker Wan Aizhen grew up eating Nanhu Ling. "I have picked water chestnuts for 10 years," said Wan. "Nanhu Ling's pulp texture is very fine and tastes sweet."

Different from the water chestnuts grown in other cities, Nanhu Ling has no sharp points, as well as features a thin shell and juicy pulp.

"We can harvest 250 to 300 kilograms of water chestnuts each day and the picking period can last 70 days or so," noted Zhang Haisheng, owner of a water chestnut farm in Youchegang town, Xiuzhou district.

Xiuzhou district currently houses three demonstration production bases of water chestnuts and the average yield per mu in the district amounts to 850 kg with retained profits of 2,500 yuan ($385.68).

Youchegang town has also made full use of water chestnut's cultural and economic value in recent years by organizing relevant cultural festivals, setting up exhibition halls showcasing the water chestnut culture in Jiaxing, as well as building the brand of Jiaxing Nanhu Ling.

In the future, the town will further boost the water chestnut industry by introducing deep-processing enterprises, establishing production bases, and encouraging local companies to develop more products from water chestnuts.