Visitors pick waxberries at an orchard in Xihu village, Bulu town, Xianju county of Taizhou. [Photo/taizhou.com.cn]

The 22nd edition of the China Xianju Waxberry Festival opened in Xianju county of Taizhou, East China's Zhejiang province on June 13.

Waxberry planting in Xianju dates back to more than 1,000 years ago. The city is now home to over 10,000 waxberry trees over 100 years of age.

Xianju's temperature varies wildly from day to night due to its high altitude and proximity to the sea.

By virtue of its favorable weather and soil conditions, waxberries grown in Xianju are considered sweeter and juicier than in other areas of China.

Dongkui waxberry, a renowned variety in Xianju, has been dubbed the "King of Waxberries" because of its strong taste and large size – usually weighing in at two or three times that of an ordinary waxberry.

At present, the county has six large-scale wholesale markets for waxberries and more than 300 small freezers.

In a bid to ensure quality, QR codes are being printed on waxberry packages this year which allow customers to trace their origins via scanning the codes. Xianju now houses more than 400 bayberry cooperatives, associations and other cooperative economic organizations which include over 3,500 farmers and have a registered capital of 33 million yuan ($4.92 million).

The fruit's plantation area in the county reached 138,000 mu this year, with the output valued at 667 million yuan.

The output in Taizhou is projected to reach 2.28 billion yuan in the near future, fueling income growth among local farmers.