A Golden Time: Tourists enjoy National Day holiday one apple at a time

World
Europe

02:28

But just how fun and relaxing are these farm stays? CGTN's Xu Xinchen heads over to Liaoning Province, where he shows us a delicious way to spend the Golden Week -- at an apple farm.

Golden delicious, Jonasgold, and a special Fuji apple variety found only in China's Northeast. Apple picking, a popular western ritual in every Fall, is alive and well during China's 7-day National Day holiday.

"We can take a stroll in the orchard while picking our own apples and taking some home. My kid loves it."

"Traveling to popular tourist spots during the Golden Week can be troublesome — congested traffic and the crowds — so many people."

This orchard in northeastern China's Suizhong County is holding its first ever apple harvest festival this year for the National Day holiday. For about 5 US dollars, it's all you can pick and eat while there.

XU XINCHEN "How can we know if the apple tastes good?"

ZHANG HONGBO DTS FRUIT "You should pick apples grown towards the sun. Apples with red stripes taste better, and you should look for rough surface, not those smooth ones."

(Those with rough surface are said to be sweeter and juicier.

XU XINCHEN SUIZHONG COUNTY, HULUDAO, LIAONING PROVINCE Picking your own apples looks easy, but there are techniques involved. Don’t pull it right off, or you will break the stem...doing that reduces the apple’s shelf life. Instead, pull it along the end of the stem... voila, you’ll have a perfect apple.)

What visitors pick but don't eat, they can take home for about a-buck-fifty per kilogram. Experts say that's comparable to supermarket prices — and much better for local farmers, compared with selling apples to wholesalers.

WANG XIN MANAGER, DTS FRUIT "We can increase farmer incomes by threefold - we love it when our guests buy what they can't eat."

Wang Xin grew up in this area, and has worked at the orchard for over two decades. In the coming years, the orchard plans to expand the picking area, and include services, like processing apples into jam and juice.

WANG XIN MANAGER, DTS FRUIT "We want to better utilize the land we have to establish sightseeing spots that reinforce the apple picking experience. We are also trying to bring in secondary and tertiary industries to further boost farmers' profits."

Since the apple harvest festival kicked off on the first day of this year's National Day holiday, the orchard has attracted over ten thousand visitors each day. A viable option for holiday makers, especially those from cities, to try something new while avoiding huge crowds.

Xu Xinchen, Suizhong County, Huludao, Liaoning Province.