2025Chinese Bayberry Picking in Xianju|trip.com

Picking bayberries in Xianju, Taizhou, is a culinary feast steeped in millennia of agricultural heritage and the beauty of the surrounding mountains and rivers. This "fairyland," nestled between the Kuacang and Dalei Mountains, boasts unique mountain basin terrain, sandy red soil with a moderate acidity and alkalinity, and abundant rainfall and sunshine, creating exceptional conditions for bayberry growth.

The local area's varying altitudes allow for staggered ripening, resulting in plump, purple-black fruits with rounded, blunt stems, juicy, and sweet flavor. Entering the bayberry forest, the heavy, reddish-purple fruits dangle amidst the lush green foliage, their fragrance wafting through the mountain breeze.

To pick, grasp the fruit stem with your thumb and index finger, gently twisting it. Picking the fruit with the stem keeps it fresher. Choose fruits that are deep red, almost purple, with a dry stem and plump flesh for the most refreshing and sweet taste.

The picked bayberries can be enjoyed on site or taken home in baskets. Those with sensitive stomachs can soak them in light salt water before eating. In the bayberry forest of Xianju, you can not only harvest a basket full of "ruby"-like fresh fruits, but also personally experience the fusion of the "fairyland" mountains and waters with farming wisdom, making the sour and sweet taste the most vivid memory of summer.