How Sweet Is China's First Fruit of Early Summer?

In early summer in the north, fruits are in a "gap season" between harvests. Meanwhile, in the south, golden and tempting loquats already cover the hillsides, bending branches under their weight. When loquats ripen, southerners know summer has arrived!

Many people associate loquats only with "Fritillaria Loquat Syrup," unaware that just the leaves can make the remedy! The delicious fruit, however, is a southern specialty.

In the south, loquat blossoms eagerly bloom from late winter to early spring. Soon, green loquats densely cover the branches. By March, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, and Yunnan lead the market; Sichuan joins in April; and by mid-May, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, and Hubei add to the lively harvest.

Loquats have been cultivated in the south for over 2,000 years, deeply embedded in daily life and culture. Come early summer, they become the most prominent fruit.

"In May, the south turns lush green, silkworms age, and loquats turn golden." From the Start of Summer to Grain Buds, just half a month, southerners' social media floods with loquat photos.

"Heaven above, Suzhou and Hangzhou below." Since ancient times, the Jiangnan region, known as the "land of fish and rice," has also been the perfect cradle for loquats. As the saying goes: "China’s best loquats are in Jiangnan, and Jiangnan’s best are in Suzhou and Hangzhou!"

How much do southerners love loquats? Any household with a yard plants a loquat tree. Unlike osmanthus, loquats need little care, growing slowly with the seasons. Naturally, the fruits stay small—yet plump, golden, and fragrant. The tree’s unhurried growth and the fruit’s soft sweetness mirror the Jiangnan temperament.

Dongting Mountain, southeast of Taihu Lake and southwest of Suzhou, has been famed for loquats since ancient times. Its eastern and western slopes yield distinct varieties.

The "Dongshan White Jade" loquat, poetic in name alone, evokes images of delicate Jiangnan beauties. Its pale yellow skin, dusted with frost and fine fuzz, hides snow-white flesh with a refreshing sweetness—utterly irresistible. A few juicy White Jades chase away early summer’s heat. "White Jade" and "White Sand," like twin sisters from Dongshan, often confuse outsiders. White Sand, slightly less pretty, is sweeter—making the choice delightfully hard.

Dongshan and Xishan are Suzhou’s treasures. Locals joke that every Suzhounese has a relative from these hills who appears like a "Gusu Santa," bearing fresh fruit. Around Grain Buds, loquats flood Suzhou’s streets—this Santa’s finest gift.

Suzhou’s loquats thrive among ancient villages, steeped in timeless charm. During harvest, locals prefer picking near Dongting Mountain. In Suzhou, loquat-picking is the trendiest outing. Biting a freshly plucked loquat in the woods, paired with cool noodles and bitter greens—this is Suzhou’s idyllic summer.

Hangzhou Loquats: Sweet Nostalgia

Tangqi Town, north of Hangzhou, nestles by the water. Once the top of "Jiangnan’s Ten Famous Towns," it’s now renowned for its "Soft Strip White Sand" loquats.

Hangzhou’s Soft Strip White Sands are oblong, some dotted with sesame-sized spots from ample sun. Outsiders see spots as authenticity markers, but locals prefer spotless ones.

With the highest sugar content among loquats, Soft Strip White Sands earn the nickname "Soft Tricksters," hailed as the "crème de la crème." Modern cartoonist and Zhejiang foodie Feng Zikai was a devoted fan.

Since the Tang Dynasty, Tangqi loquats were imperial tributes. Ming herbalist Li Shizhen wrote: "Tangqi’s loquats surpass others." Emperor Qianlong once detoured to taste them. Missing the season, chefs improvised "Fake Loquats" from loquat pollen, glutinous rice, pumpkin, and red bean paste.

In Tangqi, the century-old Wang Yuanxing restaurant masters loquat feasts. Loquat sauce with white asparagus or braised pork showcases their culinary magic. Sweet-toothed Hangzhou natives use loquats instead of sugar, cutting the pork’s grease—infusing soul into the dish and nostalgia into every local’s childhood.

South China: "Devour 300 Loquats Daily, and I’d Stay a Lingnan Local"

Everyone knows Su Shi’s line: "Devour 300 lychees daily, and I’d stay a Lingnan local," but forget the preceding lines: "Spring reigns year-round at Luofang’s foot; loquats and yellow plums ripen in turn." Here, "loquats" (luju) take center stage.

Ideal warmth and rainfall make South China a fruit paradise. Yet loquats, "born stunning," rival lychees and mangoes. Fujian, Guangdong, and Guangxi have long been key loquat hubs. Moving further south, even central Taiwan grows them.

Among them, Fujian loquats are the most famous. "Eight parts mountains, one part water, and one part fields"—mountains and hills make up 80% of Fujian's total area. Nestled between mountains and sea, Fujian provides the ideal growing environment for loquats. Putian, Yunxiao, Fuqing, Lianjiang... which isn't a renowned loquat-producing region?

Putian loquats are celebrated for their "size." While ordinary loquats weigh around 50g, the "Jiefangzhong" variety, beloved by locals, rivals apples in size and once set a world record at 172 grams.

Loquats originated in China, a fact that was also internationally recognized thanks to Putian. In the last century, loquats were mistakenly called "Japanese hawthorns" abroad, nearly being misattributed as a Japanese fruit. In 1999, a Putian-born professor published a paper, finally leading Japan to acknowledge in 2006 that loquats belong to China!

"April streets turn golden with loquats." With slightly warmer temperatures than Jiangnan, loquats appear across southern China from late March to May. Over time, people have developed more creative ways to enjoy them.

In the south, the title "Hometown of Loquats" is widespread, but scholars trace its true origin to Sichuan. Cultivated and domesticated by Sichuanese, loquats spread east along the Yangtze, taking root in Guizhou, Hunan, Hubei, Jiangxi, Anhui, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang, then moving south to Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian, and beyond. From Jiangnan and southern China, they were introduced to Japan.

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Loquat leaves resemble the shape of a pipa (Chinese lute), and the fruit borrows its name from the instrument's pronunciation. Loquats thus embody a refined, artistic aura. "In the courtyard stands a loquat tree, planted by my late wife the year she passed; now it towers lush and wide." Gui Youguang channeled his longing for departed loved ones into the loquat—a cultural legacy that deepens the emotional bond between loquats and the Chinese people.

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