Jinhua city, in East China's Zhejiang province on Dec 20 – and one listing stood out as a welcome and popular choice for a county-level city that is on the rise.

As a major achievement, the Huajuhong or Tomentose Pummelo Peel, a traditional Chinese medicinal material from Huazhou city, Maoming was ranked ninth on the list.

The result was singular, in that it represented the first time that Huajuhong has made it into the top 10.

Launched in 2018 by China Brand magazine, the annual rankings have become a key benchmark for evaluating regional agricultural brands. From 2023 to 2024, Huajuhong climbed from 47th to ninth place, with its influence index soaring from 599.83 to 950.76 points.

This success reflects Huazhou's concerted efforts to strengthen the Huajuhong industry by leveraging the construction of Huajuhong national modern agricultural industrial parks.

Over the past few years, the city has expanded the cultivation area for Huajuhong by 14,000 mu (933 hectares).

Cultural and technological integration has also played a pivotal role in the Huajuhong industry's development. Huazhou has launched the China Huajuhong Expo Center – which combines tourism, processing, exhibitions and sales, science education and leisure entertainment.

Meanwhile, joint efforts with universities like Sun Yat-sen University have advanced research into derivative products such as compound medicines and healthcare food and beverages.

It's axiomatic that brand development can't succeed without the protection of the rule of law. Legislative support through the Maoming Huajuhong Protection and Development Ordinance – officially implemented in May – is viewed as having safeguarded Huajuhong's industrial development, cultural inheritance and management.

Hujuhong hang on a tree. [Photo/Nanfang Daily]

Dried Hujuhong slices. [Photo/Nanfang Daily]