Dafu yangmei, a popular Wuxi summer fruit. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Dafu yangmei is a distinctive local fruit grown in Taihu Shanshui City in Binhu district, Wuxi, Jiangsu province, which is popular in the summer.

As a major production area of yangmei, also known as waxberry or Chinese bayberry, dafu has a history of more than 2,000 years of planting the fruit. With a superior natural environment like Taihu Lake and sandy soil, the warm and wet weather is quite suitable for yangmei to grow.

Taihu Shanshui City now plants yangmei over an arera of more than 533 hectares, with an annual output of about 6,000 tons. It is predicted to have a sales revenue of 100 million yuan ($15.65 billion) this year.

Local residents and visitors come to Dafu and pick up yangmei. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Dafu yangmei stands out for its bright color, small core, and rich flavor. It is also appetizing and thirst quenching, as well as has high nutritional value.

Wuxi residents often use baijiu (Chinese white liquor) to soak yangmei and mix it with brown sugar for beneficial effects like relieving dampness, alleviating diarrhea, and cooling off in the summer.