CHONGQING(CQNEWS)--On April 27th, the Chongqing Urban Planning Bureau and Chongqing Geographical Information Centre released the “Chongqing Loquat Picking Map” of the “Spring Picking Map Series”, sorting out the information on multiple loquat picking sites across the city. With May 1st around the corner, will you go for loquat picking during the holiday?

According to the centre, Chongqing abounds in loquats, with almost all districts or counties having loquat gardens and bases except for Yuzhong District. If you want to enjoy picking in the urban area, for your reference, you can choose the following three places.

There are three loquat gardens with a relatively large scale in the urban area

1. Huilong Loquat Base, Guangyang Town, Nan’an District

The loquats in the 741.32 acre- loquat base in Guangyang start to ripen around late April each year. The garden has a high scale and professional level, and has a variety of loquat species. Moreover, citizens going for picking there can pick freely in the field.

Location: Huilong Loquat Base, Huilong Village, Guangyang Town

2. Loquat base of around 16,473.69 acres in Dazu District

Dazu loquats are famous for their large size and thin skin, yielding a lot of flesh with a small core, and fragrant and refreshing taste. Upon late April and early May each year, the Dazu Loquat Tourism Culture Festival will be held, which will last for nearly one month. During the festival, the Wuxing (five-star) loquats of around 16,473.69 acres will ripen in succession, and the output will reach 12,000 tons.

Location: Around Tangxiang Sub-district, Dazu District

3. Gulou Town Loquat Garden, Hechuan District

Hechuan’s Gulou Town is a classic loquat picking site, and long been known as the “Hometown of Loquat”, where the loquats of around 3,294.74 acres have already started to ripen. With such main species as “Wuxing”, “Jinsheng” and “Zaohong 3”, the loquats there are large, have tender flesh and abundant moisture, and are sweet and delicious.

Location: Qilong Village and other villages, Gulou Town, Hechuan District

Notes for loquat picking:

1. When picking, choose 90% plus ripe loquats and handle them gently;

2. When picking, hold the stems only and don’t touch the surface of the fruit, or the hair on the surface will fall off, dots will appear on the surface on the second day and the fruit will rot in two to three days;

3. Do not leave too long or too short stems on the fruit and it would be best to break off from the third last knobble. In this way, not only will the fruit be beautiful to look at, but also reduce the stacking among the fruit, so as to avoid touching of the fruit upon shipping. (Translated by Tang Zhiqiang, Fathom Language Limited)