At dawn on July 22, a refrigerated truck rolled into Anyue, Ziyang under the glow of the morning light. The lemons on board, imported from the Southern Hemisphere, were part of Ziyang’s first batch of imported lemons. At Sichuan Province Xin Ning Le Fruit Industry, more than 40 workers were already in position to begin unloading. After sample inspection, the lemons were uniformly packaged and stored in cold storage. Three days later, they will be shipped to destinations across the country.

Imported Lemons to Anyue Being Unloaded at the Port [Photo via Xin Ning Le Fruit Industry]

Recently, lemon prices in Anyue County have continued to rise due to an imbalance between supply and demand. The nearly 300 containers of lemons were harvested from Xin Ning Le’s partner orchards in the Southern Hemisphere originally for export to overseas markets. However, with low domestic lemon inventory and a significant supply gap—coupled with strong recognition of Anyue’s lemon brands—Xin Ning Le has shifted its strategy and prioritized supplying the domestic market.

The Refrigerated Truck Carrying Lemons Entering the Xin Ning Le Factory [Photo by Yi Kuixi]

This batch of lemons, having "studied abroad," represents not only a key initiative for enterprise supply security and domestic demand stimulation, but also a testament to Anyue County's high-quality, integrated development of its lemon industry chain.

Located in Ziyang City, China's Sichuan Province, Anyue County boasts 480,000 mu (32,000 hectares) of lemon orchards, making it one of the world's top five lemon-producing regions and China's only commercial lemon production base. Its cultivation area and fresh fruit yield rank first in Asia. In 2024, Anyue's lemon direct exports reached 178 million yuan, maintaining its position as Sichuan's top fruit export by value.

In July 2025, Anyue County signed an agreement with MIXUE Group, planning to invest 150 million yuan in establishing the Mixue Anyue Lemon Supply Chain Center, further upgrading the local lemon industry.

The China Lemon Trading Center and JD Business Intelligence are accelerating their rollout, with an integrated "production-supply-sales-storage-logistics-inspection" system propelling this golden fruit from the hills of central Sichuan to the global market.

Today, Anyue County has built a ​​comprehensive lemon industry chain​​, spanning cultivation, deep processing, brand marketing, and eco-tourism, unlocking layered value-added benefits and delivering both ecological and economic gains. With firm strides, ​​Anyue lemons are now "buying and selling globally."​ (By Ma Lulu and Jiang Zhuolin)