Where are the bayberry (yangmei) picking spots around Chongqing?
It is peak bayberry season right now. Although there are plenty on the market, they are expensive and not particularly fresh, so in the end nothing beats picking them yourself. So where around Chongqing can you pick bayberries?
1. NiuHuang Village, Xinglong Town, Yubei
Xinglong Town in Yubei is currently the only bayberry base in the main urban area. So far, bayberry planting has been promoted throughout the town to 17,000 mu, of which the fruit-bearing tree area exceeds 2,000 mu, with an annual production and sales of about 90,000 jin of fresh fruit. It is known as the “Famous Hometown of Bayberry in China”.
By car: Main city - Airport Expressway - Lianglu (National Highway 210) - Xinglong Town - NiuHuang Village - Xiaowu Bayberry Orchard
By bus: Take the shuttle bus bound for Cizhu from the No. 63 Team Station in Lianglu, Yubei, and get off at the bayberry base in NiuHuang Village, Xinglong Town
2. Dingshan Lake, Qijiang
The bayberries here are tasty and cheap, 8 yuan per jin. Here, you can fish, boat and enjoy bayberries with a few good friends!
Driving route: Main city - Yuqian Expressway - exit at Qijiang Dongxi - Dingshan Lake
3. Shuangxi Village, Longhua Town, Jiangjin
Shuangxi Village has introduced the large-fruited, sweet Zhejiang ‘Dongkui’ bayberry. It is very enjoyable, and now the branches are full of fruit, quietly waiting for your visit.
There are also farmhouse restaurants on the hill offering food and lodging, which is very convenient. The orchard also has watermelons you can pick, so you can play and eat to your heart's content in one trip!
Driving route: Main city - Chengyu Expressway - exit at Jiangjin - Shuangbao - Longhua Town - Shuangxi Village
4. Shanlun Village, Yunji, Changshou
The Shanlun Village bayberry base was established in 2005, located in Shanlun Village on the edge of Yunji in Changshou, covering an area of 3,300 mu. The first-phase project of an 800-mu core base has been completed; it bore fruit successfully in 2009 and had gradually entered the full-production period by 2013.
After all, the bayberries here are on a large scale and quite cheap. Once you go in to eat, you may worry your stomach isn't big enough! After having fun, you can also go to Changshou Lake to cruise, take a boat ride and fish, which is also a kind of enjoyment.
Driving route: Main city - Changshou - Changshou Lake - Yunji - Shanlun Village
5. Jiangbei Village, Shuangfeng Town, Hechuan
Picking bayberries here requires no entrance ticket, and picking costs 20 yuan/jin. Invite a few friends and go together to Jiangbei Village in Shuangfeng to experience the joy of picking by hand in the orchard, taste the bayberry wine brewed by the owner himself, or go to a nearby farmhouse to enjoy a pastoral farm meal and take in the intoxicating greenery by Liuxiang Lake. It will surely make you come with joy and return satisfied.
Driving route: Main city - Yuwu Expressway - Yanjing ramp - Southwest University Yucai College - Shuangfeng Baohe Leisure Tourism Sightseeing Park - Group 8, Jiangbei Village
6. Jianshan Village, Ji'an Town, Yongchuan
On a hillside of more than 40 mu in Jianshan Village, Ji'an Town, there are more than 200 fruit-bearing bayberry trees. The bayberry orchard has 4 varieties, including “Dongkui”, “Daheitan”, “Xiaoheitan” and “Biji”. To ensure the fruit set and mellow taste of the bayberries, these bayberries are all fed “on” ecological fertilizer. To ensure the taste of the bayberries, they hardly use pesticides, letting the bayberries ripen naturally. They are all original, natural bayberries, so you can eat them with peace of mind.
Driving route: Take the old road from Yongchuan to Ji'an, and about one kilometer before Jianshanchang, follow the branch road on the left for just over 1 km to reach the bayberry orchard
7. Shigang Village, Qilong Township, Nanchuan
On a hillside in Shigang Village, Qilong Township, grow more than 700 wild bayberry trees, of which one third are over a hundred years old, and some even exceed 300 years. The fruit produced by these ancient trees is also of quite superior quality.
Driving route: Main city - Yuxiang Expressway - exit at Shuijiang Station - Qilong Township - Shigang Village
8. Lidu Shanlun Bayberry Base, Fuling
The Lidu Shanlun Bayberry Base in Fuling covers an area of 3,300 mu. In the first phase, an 800-mu core base of bayberries has been planted. Whenever June comes and the bayberries ripen, it is again a good time for picking. At the Lidu Shanlun Bayberry Base, to pick seasonal fresh bayberries you only need an entrance fee of 20 yuan per person; after entering, you can eat as much as you like, and any bayberries you pick that you cannot finish can be bought and taken away at 25 yuan/jin.
Driving route: Main city - Yuyi Expressway - Changshou - Changshou Lake - Shanlun Village Bayberry Base
9. Huanglong Village, Peishi Township, Wushan
At the bayberry base in Peishi Township, Wushan County, 90% of the more than 30,000 bayberry trees have already borne fruit. The entire bayberry base covers an area of more than 500 mu. The bayberries here are a bit expensive, at around 40 yuan/jin.
Driving route: Main city - Hurong Expressway - Wushan - Guandu Town - Peishi Township - Huanglong Village
10. Quanshui Village, Yanshan Township, Wanzhou
In the bayberry grove of Quanshui Village, Yanshan Township, plump, tender bayberries hang all over the branches. The red ones are so vivid they seem about to drip, and the purple ones are ripe and tempting. Walking among them, picking while tasting, it is wonderfully comfortable!
Driving route: Main city - Huyu Expressway - Wanzhou - Yanshan Township - Quanshui Village