China News Network Yantai, May 5 Topic: Yantai, Shandong: From "Guangxing Orchard" to "Fruit Country"
Written by Yang Shengwu, Wang Jiaoni
One morning in the autumn of more than 150 years ago, the American missionary Nevith walked down from the "South Building" of his residence in Yantai, Shandong Province, and led people to pick apples planted in the "Guangxing Orchard" to the Sochengli Market on the other side of the Southwest River. The Western fruits he grows are favored for their large size and good taste.
Not only apples, but also Yantai's cherries and wines are also famous at home and abroad. Photo by Zhou Hongyang
As one of the main fruit producing areas in China, Yantai, Shandong Province, in addition to the superior geographical environment and special climatic conditions, Ni Weisi has made a great contribution.
Born into a family of farmers in New York State, he learned fruit tree cultivation and management from his grandfather, and grew up teaching himself botany and horticulture. In 1854, Ni Weisi and his wife Helen came to China, and initially preached in Shanghai, Ningbo, Hangzhou and other places. In 1861, he moved to Dengzhou (now Penglai), and in the autumn of 1871, he moved to Yantai.
Located at 37 degrees north latitude, Yantai has similar natural conditions to New York State. Ni Weisi believed that Yantai was very suitable for growing apples and other fruits and vegetables, so he bought 10 acres of land on the hillside near the "South Building" where Yuhuangding lived to build an orchard, and successively introduced dozens of fruits and vegetables such as strawberries, cherries, apples, plums, pears, and grapes into Yantai, and improved local varieties with excellent fruit seedlings from the West. He believed that the fruit industry in Yantai and its surroundings would rise widely as a result, and named the orchard "Guangxing".
Neeves also wrote to friends and family in the United States, as well as his counterparts in Europe and Japan, asking them for the best seedlings of fruits and vegetables. In the "Guangxing Orchard" at that time, there were cherries in spring, pears in summer, grapes and apples in autumn... These Western fruits are superior to local fruits in quality and taste, and have gradually become sought-after items in the market.
In the Binhai Square at the foot of Yantai Mountain, there is a historical carved stone of "Guangxing Orchard" to commemorate Ni Weisi and his good deeds of introducing Western fruits. Photo by Yang Shengwu
It is reported that before the introduction of Western apples, Yantai planted local apples such as sand fruit, citrus, pinpo, flower bonus, autumn seed and so on. After the introduction of Western apples, nearby farmers grafted branches onto local "sand fruit" begonia trees, and since then China has gradually developed major varieties such as "green banana", "red banana", "golden shuai" and "small country light". In the 20s of the 50th century, other apple producing areas in China introduced seedlings and learned technology from Yantai, and the flavor of "Yantai apple" spread to the north and south of China. Later, China introduced Japanese "Fuji" apples, and continued to select and develop, and selected more than 30 excellent varieties, forming the current apple cultivation system.
According to the "History of the Development of Yantai Apple", there are as many as 13 apple varieties introduced by Ni Weisi alone. Writer Wu Dianbin wrote in his non-fiction novel "Red Apple": "There is no doubt that Ni Weisi's introduction of Western apples has changed the agricultural industrial structure in Yantai and beyond. ”
Wang Haipeng, associate professor of Ludong University, wrote in "World Religions and Culture: Ni Weisi's Last Years in Yantai": "The various Western fruit trees he brought to Yantai as a unique 'gospel' benefited the local people, and also achieved a miracle in the history of scientific and technological exchanges between China and the West." It is Ni Weisi who makes Yantai fruits famous all over the world and makes Yantai a fruit capital. ”
At present, Yantai apple planting area is 280.570 million mu, with an annual output of 13.150 million tons. At a time when the apple market is full of flowers, Yantai Apple has been the first brand in China's fruit industry for <> consecutive years, with a brand value of more than <> billion yuan.
Not only apples, but also Yantai's cherries, wines, etc. are also well-known at home and abroad, and are exported to many countries and regions in the world, making it a veritable "fruit town" in China.
Ni Weisi lived in Yantai for 22 years and died in Yantai at the age of 64. In the Binhai Square at the foot of Yantai Mountain, there is a historical carved stone of "Guangxing Orchard" to commemorate Ni Weisi and his good deeds of introducing Western fruits. (End)