Lixian Grapes Thrive in Chengtoushan, Their Fragrance Reaching Far and Wide

Around Chengtoushan in Lixian County, Hunan Province, grapevines are flourishing on land steeped in thousands of years of history.

Across 67,000 mu of vineyards in Lixian, clusters of grapes hang heavy on the vines, protected from the intense sunlight by individual fruit bags. Wang Xianrong, a major local grape grower, explains: “Bagging has two main benefits. First, it helps protect the grapes from pests and diseases. Second, it is safe and environmentally friendly. Once the grapes are bagged, we can avoid spraying them with pesticides.”

Bagged grapes growing in Lixian County (Photo by Hu Jiayi)

Lixian has established 340 cold-chain storage facilities for grapes, with a combined storage capacity of 176,000 cubic meters. Its refrigerated storage equipment and systems for sorting and preliminary processing rank among the most advanced in China. From harvesting and transportation to processing and export, a comprehensive cold-chain system gradually lowers the temperature of the grapes, helping them remain fresh throughout long sea voyages.

Workers process and pack grapes in a temperature-controlled workshop (Photo by Hu Jiayi)

Today, sweet grapes grown near Dongting Lake are shipped overseas via cold-chain shipping routes, bringing their distinctive flavor to more than ten countries, including Russia and the Philippines.