The coastal city of Yantai in Shandong province has a long history of planting apples. [Photo/WeChat account: ytwlgw]

The coastal city of Yantai in Shandong province has a long history of planting apples, which are not only one of the city's pillar industries, but also among its most famous agricultural products.

The Qixia Apple Wholesale Market, which is located in Yantai's Qixia, is the largest apple trading center in Asia. Apples from the market are exported around the world, especially to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations members, which have been the main markets for Chinese apples.

In 2020, the total planting area of apples in Yantai was 2.8 million mu (1,866.67 square kilometers), which produced a total output of 6.06 million metric tons, and accounted for 72 percent and 63 percent of the province's total.

Yantai apples have a brand value of more than 15 billion yuan ($2.35 billion), according to official data, and have ranked number one among China's fruit brands for the past 13 years. Apples from Yantai are exported to over 30 countries and regions around the world.

In recent years, Yantai has increased its efforts to speed up the transformation and upgrading of its apple industry, as well as to boost the market competitiveness of apples by producing new products. Efforts have also been made to promote the transition from the traditional production mode to a modern one.

Currently, Yantai is expanding its market value of its crunchy, pink and red apples by upgrading old orchards and investing in automation, sorting and transportation to boost the quality and quantity of its products. The city built a modern and high-standard demonstration park for growing apples in the city's Haiyang earlier this month, and it is expected to help promote the mechanized and large-scale apple growing industry.