The story of “Wukong” and An Yue Lemon

October 16 21:06 2024

In August this year, the first domestic 3A game “Black Myth: Wukong” was officially launched, setting off a global “Journey to the West” boom, and also brought a ripple-like cultural impact. Many of the locations in the game have attracted the attention of players, including Mingshan Temple and Qianfo Grotto in Anyue County, Ziyang, Sichuan.

Global experts take a group photo at Anyue World Lemon Expo Park as a memento

Autumn colors the Anyue stone carvings, and the wind carries the fragrance of lemon fruit. On October 14th, themed “When ‘Wukong’ Meets Anyue Lemons”, the international warm-up event for the fifth World Lemon Industry Development Conference officially kicked off at Baosen Tourism Resort in Wenhua Town, Anyue County. It is reported that the event will last for two days. More than ten representatives from central and provincial media, along with over 20 foreign friends working or studying in Sichuan, will visit Anyue to explore the World Lemon Variety Expo Park, Mingshan Temple, Pilu Cave, and other places. They will inhale the fragrance of century-old lemons, savor the millennia-old stone carvings, and embark on a journey of “Anyue Lemon Stone Light” with “Sun Wukong”.

“Wukong” is highly sought after, with over 20 foreign friends experiencing it to the fullest

Entering October, Anyue lemons enter the harvesting season. At around 14:00 on the same day, more than 20 international friends from the United States, Britain, Pakistan, and other countries walked into the World Lemon Variety Expo Park located in Baosen Tourism Resort in Wenhua Town. The lemon fruits had already covered the branches, and there were 25 major lemon cultivars from all over the world gathered here.

Climbing up the steps along the walking path in the park, in front of the activity display board, a performer dressed in the costume of “Wukong” caught the eye. Everyone held hand cards with words such as “Lemon Golden Fruit, Welcoming Guests from All Directions”, “Welcoming the World Lemon Festival, I’m Waiting for You in Anyue”, “Lemons of the World, Lemons of the World”, etc., competing to take photos and check in. On both sides of the exhibition board, there are experiences of making lemon fruit tea and cocktails.

“This is my first time drinking lemon cocktail, and the taste is very unique. “Shamu from Pakistan picked up his glass and carefully savored the unique sensation on his tongue. In his hometown, lemon is a commonly used seasoning that can enhance the freshness of dishes and can also be added to salads and consumed together with fruits, vegetables, and other foods. But pairing it with cocktails brought him a completely new feeling.

“It smells very fragrant, it seems like this kind of lemon is used in MIXUE Ice Cream&Tea.” Self media video blogger Jiang Nan has been to Anyue many times, and the Anyue lemon in the World Lemon Variety Expo Park left a deep impression on him. “This time I’m going to Anyue, I’m planning to learn more about the development history of lemons and experience lemon wine.”

American influencers Jiang Nan and Wukong live stream at Lemon Orchard

Toby from the UK is a “Sichuanese expert”, and he particularly likes the “Wukong” on site. Because Toby noticed that both domestic and foreign friends are paying attention to the game “Black Myth: Wukong”. This time in Anyue, besides taking photos of lemons with friends, he is also looking forward to visiting the filming location of the game in Anyue.

During the event, SAAD MERYAM from Morocco also launched an online live stream, leading netizens to visit from a first person perspective and experience lemon picking on site. As of around 18:30, the live stream has exceeded 2 million views.

Chuanguo’s golden signboard brand has a value of over 19.1 billion yuan

It is reported that nearly a hundred years ago, Zou Haifan, a native of Anyue, brought back a Yulike lemon seedling brought from the United States to Anyue from the courtyard of Canadian professor Ding Kesen at West China Medical Center, Sichuan University. The average annual temperature here is 17.5 ℃, with no severe cold in winter and no scorching heat in summer. The four seasons are distinct and the climate is unique, making it very suitable for lemon growth. Afterwards, after decades of cultivation, domestication, selection, and purification, high-yielding, high-quality, and stress resistant strains were bred, demonstrating extraordinary variety advantages.

The testing report previously issued by the China Citrus Research Institute showed that Anyue lemon is superior to lemons from California, USA and Sicily, Italy in key indicators such as lemon oil, soluble solids, and citric acid, making it an internationally recognized high-quality fresh and processed variety.

According to the Report on the Development of Lemon Industry in China and the World, the overall consumption of fresh lemon fruit in the world is on the rise. European and American countries have a large demand for lemon, accounting for 82% of the global consumption of fresh lemon fruit. Currently, Chinese lemons are exported to 38 countries in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and other regions, with Anyue lemon as the main force, leading the way in export volume. From January to June this year, the self operated export value of Anyue lemon reached 81.22 million yuan, a year-on-year increase of 150.5%, continuing to rank first in the export of Sichuan fruit products.

Yulia Grishenko and Zhivtsov Maxim, a couple from Russia, feel the fragrance of lemons at Anyue Lemon Garden

Chinese lemons look at Sichuan, Sichuan lemons look at Anyue. After nearly a hundred years of development, Anyue lemon has grown from scratch, from small to large, from weak to strong. The current planting area is 480000 mu, and the annual output is 600000 tons, accounting for 70% of the country. The brand value is more than 19.1 billion yuan. It was included in the List of Implementation of Geographical Indications Protection Projects in 2024 issued by the China National Intellectual Property Administration. It has become a pillar industry to promote local economic development and increase farmers’ income and become a “golden signboard” of Sichuan fruits.

It is worth mentioning that Anyue continues to promote “Lemon+Culture” and has consecutively held 11 China Lemon Festivals and successfully hosted 4 World Lemon Industry Development Conferences. The 5th World Lemon Industry Development Conference will be held as scheduled from October 17th to 18th this year. At that time, experts, scholars, and practitioners related to the lemon industry from all over the world will gather in Anyue to conduct exchanges and discussions on lemon variety improvement, nutrition and health, development and application, foreign trade marketing, and other fields, exploring methods and paths for the high-quality development of China’s lemon industry represented by Anyue lemon.

Media Contact
Company Name: China Net Sichuan
Contact Person: Mr. Xiao
Email: Send Email
Phone: 18628843888
City: Ziyang
State: Sichuan
Country: China
Website: http://sc.china.com.cn/