A cruise ship passing the riverside orchard in Lianziyan Village of Zigui County on April 9

A fully loaded truck with batches of freshly-harvested navel oranges in Toudaohe Village of Zigui County, April 8 (drone photo)

Hand-controlled transportation favored by technicians, Dengjiapo Village, Zigui County, April 8

Aerial technology to facilitate delivery in Lianziyan Vilage, Zigui County, April 9

　　Clusters of ripe, luscious navel oranges hang from branches laden with full blooms, a wonderful view of the Three Gorges along the Yangtze River. As the mainstay of farming oranges, Zigui County, northwestern Yichang City of Hubei Province, has in recent years refined the fruit variety by cultivating new breeds of navel oranges that ripen in spring, such as “Lunwan” and “Red Flesh.” In contrast to the traditional supply in autumn and winter, the new produce goes to market to tickle people’s palate when the season is otherwise slack. The county has reported having developed over 150,000 acres of spring oranges, with an annual yield exceeding 300,000 tons. Orange economy has become the pillar to shore up local growth and prosperity. (Xinhua/Zheng Jiayu)