China's Taiwan is influenced by the monsoon climate. With hot, humid summers and short, warm winters as well as high precipitation, the climate is perfect for growing tropical fruits. 

The wax apple is a bell-shaped nutritious fruit. It has the color but not the taste or the density of an apple. The lightly sweet taste is akin to a snow pear.   

As a tropical fruit, the wax apple prefers hot, humid weather and wet soil. If it's cold and frosty, the fruit will fall and rot.

This wax apple is native to Southeast Asia, including Malaysia and India. It was introduced to Taiwan in the 17th century and is also cultivated in other Chinese places, such as Hainan, Guangxi and Fujian, but the yields are not good. 

Taiwan is divided into two parts with different climates by the Tropic of Cancer. The southern part is influenced by the tropical monsoon climate, which perfectly meets every requirement for wax apples to thrive. Pingtung County is a big growing region.

The wax apple coming from Pingtung is known as "Black Pearl" wax apple, as the skin is a shiny dark-red color rather than pink. Compared to the regular wax apple, the Pingtung variety tastes sweeter and is also larger.

Growing and selling the Black Pearl wax apple has brought local farmers big profits, hence the industry is given incentives by the local government. Occasionally, Pingtung people will hold competitions to compare the types of wax apples and try to create new species for better taste.

From the wetlands along the coast to the dense rainforests hidden in the southwest, China boasts an array of plant species. In this series, we will go on a tour to learn about some of the most representative flora in different provinces and see how they live in harmony with the local geography and climate.

(Cover photo via VCG, designed by CGTN's Qu Bo)

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