Waxberries are on display at the 26th Xianju Waxberry Festival, which kicked off in Xianju county of Taizhou, East China's Zhejiang province, on June 8. [Photo/taizhou.com.cn]

Xianju waxberry, a renowned seasonal fruit from Taizhou's Xianju county, has been making waves in recent years, captivating both domestic and international customers alike.

In June 2022, Dongkui waxberries, a variety of Xianju waxberry, were exported to Dubai and sold at sky-high prices, sparking a flurry of online buzz in China.

Revered as the "King of Waxberries" for its robust flavor and larger size, Dongkui waxberries weigh two to three times more than ordinary waxberries, fetching a jaw-dropping 60 yuan ($8.4) each in Dubai.

In a significant milestone for the fruit, waxberry seeds from Xianju were sent into space for experimentation onboard the Shenzhou XVI manned spacecraft in June.

But that's not all. In a recent development, over 120 waxberry seedlings transplanted from Xianju to the Gobi Desert have been thriving at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center since late 2022, attracting further attention to the remarkable fruit.

As a proudly-shared brand of Xianju, the Xianju waxberry has achieved a whopping brand value of almost 2.5 billion yuan, a testament to its immense popularity.

Despite its seasonal availability, Xianju has pioneered and diversified the industry by processing the fruit into delectable products, such as juices and pastries, raising the output value of the waxberry industry in the county to a staggering 3.5 billion yuan, according to official data.