A basket containing waxberries produced in Xianju county, Taizhou, East China's Zhejiang province. [Photo/WeChat account: tzfb001]

Xianju waxberry was recently listed among the second batch of Zhejiang provincial cultural and tourism intellectual properties.

A total of 15 items from across the province made the list released by the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism.

Waxberries have been grown in Xianju county, East China's Zhejiang province for over 1,000 years. Patches of ancient waxberry trees can still be found in some places such as Hengxi town and Qiushan township in the county.

The juicy and sweet waxberries produced in the area can weigh up to 40 grams each, reaching the size of a ping-pong ball. In recent years, this fruit has become all the rage in China and abroad in recent years.

Between 2019 and 2021, nearly 30 metric tons of waxberries were exported to countries including the United States, France, Germany, Singapore, Canada and the Netherlands.

Xianju currently has 140,000 mu (9,333 hectares) of waxberry plantations that can produce 106,000 tons of the fruit annually.