By Tian Xianjin, You Yi, Song Zhaojun, People’s Daily

From cranberries grown in northeast China’s Heilongjiang province to caviar produced in Sichuan province in the southwest, and from Australian red claw crayfish bred in southwest China’s Chongqing to king prawn cultivated in northwest China’s Gansu province, an increasing number of high-end ingredients originally from the West are now evolving into new specialties of Chinese counties.
These former imports are not only capturing local appetites, but also becoming full-fledged industries that are revitalizing regional economies and shaping new agricultural identities.
French foie gras finds a foothold in Anhui
At Anhui Renjun Poultry Farming Co., Ltd., the air is thick with the honking of geese – hundreds of them clustered inside bustling workshops.
“Every part of the Landes goose is valuable, but the liver is especially prized as a gourmet ingredient in French cuisine,” said Zhu Renjun, the company’s manager.
Native to the Landes region in southwestern France, the Landes goose now thrives in Huoqiu county, east China’s Anhui province. Home to over 140 foie gras producers, Huoqiu produces over 5 million geese annually and more than 5,000 tons of foie gras.
Huoqiu has a long tradition of goose farming, particularly the local Wanxi white goose. With the growing demand for foie gras, local farmers introduced the Landes goose for breeding, and the industry expanded rapidly. Today, foie gras has become a regional hallmark.
Zhu is now focused on expanding the market share of Huoqiu’s foie gras. “Right now, we mainly sell to hotels and online consumers. To reach a broader customer base and boost market presence, we need to break into brick-and-mortar supermarket chains,” he said.
To meet that goal, the company is upgrading its production lines. “Supermarkets demand strict quality assurance. We’re planning to install more surveillance cameras and digitize our operations for real-time monitoring. Cold storage will also need a major upgrade,” Zhu explained. “The total investment will likely run into several million yuan (1 million yuan is approximately $139,400.70), but it’s well worth for access to a much larger market.”
Caviar from the mountains of Sichuan
Nestled at the foot of snow-capped Erlang Mountain, more than 100 circular fish ponds glint in the sunlight – each home to sturgeons bred in Ya’an, Sichuan province. Spring-fed streams and clean, cold water make the area ideal for cultivating this ancient fish.
“Sturgeons thrive in water temperatures between 12 and 20 degrees Celsius. Ya’an offers abundant cold-water resources with excellent water quality and high oxygen content, making it perfect for caviar farming,” said Li Jun, chairman of Sichuan Runzhao Fisheries Co., Ltd.
After learning sturgeon farming techniques, Li established his aquaculture base in a modern agricultural park of Tianquan county in Ya’an in 2012. But it takes patience: a sturgeon requires at least eight years to mature from fry to an egg-bearing adult, and harvesting its roe involves 17 meticulous steps – all completed within 15 minutes.
To acquire processing expertise, Li invited foreign specialists for hands-on training. Local experts from research institutes and universities also lent their support.
Over a decade later, Ya’an’s caviar industry has carved out a solid reputation. Exports now reach more than 30 countries and regions, with strong brand recognition abroad.
Li still vividly recalls the early setbacks, when foreign buyers turned away from his product. But through relentless quality improvements, in-person outreach, technical certifications, site visits, and even blind taste tests, his company gradually won over European customers. So far, the company has registered caviar trademarks in 17 countries and regions.
King prawns in China’s northwest
In Greenhouse No. 4 of Fengsen New Agriculture Technology Co., Ltd. in Yanuan township, Linze county, Gansu province, deputy general manager Ma Guibin inspects rows of aquaculture tanks. In a few days, a new batch of king prawn larvae will arrive from the hatchery and begin their months-long journey to market size.
Popular for their delicate texture, mild flavor, and high market appeal, king prawns have traditionally been farmed along China’s coastal regions, where cultivation techniques are developed. However, they can only survive minutes out of water, and even with cold chain logistics, they typically remain viable for no more than five hours. This made it difficult for consumers in China’s western regions to enjoy them fresh – until recently.
Linze county sits in the heart of the Hexi Corridor, part of the ancient Silk Road and stretching over a distance of nearly 1,000 kilometers in Gansu. Yanuan township offers favorable conditions for prawn farming: low-lying terrain, ample groundwater, and extensive saline-alkali land unsuitable for crops but ideal for aquaculture.
In 2022, thanks to local investment incentives, Ma and his partners launched the first phase of a land-based, recirculating aquaculture system. Last year, the company introduced digital technology to further boost efficiency.
Today, the company runs eight greenhouse facilities and produces 60 tons of king prawns annually, along with another 10 tons of high-value aquatic species. The venture generates four million yuan in economic benefits.
Building on that success, Yanuan township has recently launched a fishery-tourism complex that combines aquaculture, tourism, and ecological sustainability. Visitors now flock to the facility not only to learn about the prawn-farming process, but also to enjoy the taste of prawns harvested just minutes before.

By Che Bin, Li Yanan, People’s DailyLocated in the southwestern part of Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, Kashgar sits on a lushoasis nourished by the Yarkant River, which flows from the Karakoram Mountains. Since ancienttimes, traders and travelers crossing the Pamir Plateau have stopped here to rest, trade, andconnect. This made Kashgar a key hub along the ancient Silk Road and one of Xinjiang’s earliestinternational trading posts. Historical figures such as Zhang Qian, Xuanzang, Faxian, and MarcoPolo all left their footprints in this storied land.Today, Kashgar stands as China’s gateway to the west, an international corridor leading to Central,West, and South Asia, and the starting point of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. Departingfrom downtown Kashgar and heading south along the Karakoram Highway, known as the “China-Pakistan Friendship Road,” one can reach Taxkorgan Tajik autonomous county after a 300-kilometer drive.Just north of Taxkorgan lies the Ruins of Stone City, a site with more than 2,000 years of history.When Buddhist monk Xuanzang in Tang Dynasty (618-907) returned from his journey to India, hepassed through the site and later described the ancient stronghold in his travelogue “The GreatTang Records on the Western Regions.” Weathered by time, the ruins still stands with quietgrandeur.In downtown Kashgar lies the ancient city of Kashgar, which dates back over 2,100 years. Knownas a “living city of antiquity,” it begins each day with a ceremonial opening: at sunrise, dancersemerge from its streets, greeting visitors with cheerful music and vibrant performances.Wandering through the ancient city, one encounters 99 alleys that twist and turn, lined with earth-toned buildings decorated with flower pots, intricate wood carvings, colorful domes, andoverhanging eaves. As families expand, new generations add floors to their homes, creating aunique and compact architectural landscape with hanging houses and enclosed passageways. Overtime, more than 20,000 residences have formed a dense, labyrinthine urban layout – one of thelargest inhabited clusters of earthen buildings in the world.In the early Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), Italian traveler Marco Polo described Kashgar in histravel notes as a city with beautiful gardens, orchards, vineyards, and merchants from every cornerof the world.In August last year, Italian hiking enthusiast Vienna Cammarota visited Kashgar. Before her trip toChina, she had read about the city in The Travels of Marco Polo. Upon arrival, she was thrilled todiscover that Kashgar was not only a vital hub on the ancient Silk Road but also a place brimmingwith vitality today.”The streets are lively by day and poetic at night,” she said. “There’s a constant hum of voices andthe air is filled with the aromas of spices, freshly baked bread, and sizzling barbecue.”In the ancient city of Kashgar, there is a cafe named Dili & Diya, run by a young local man, DilxatTursun, and his Tanzanian wife Hadiya.Hadiya attributed her opportunity to live and study in China to the Belt and Road Initiative. Shemet Dilxat Tursun while both were students in Fuzhou, southeast China’s Fujian province. In May2020, the couple returned to Dilxat Tursun’s hometown Kashgar.”The moment I arrived in Kashgar, I fell in love with it,” Hadiya said. “The city has a rich history,and the people are warm and hospitable. In my hometown of Zanzibar, there’s also a Stone City,

which feels quite similar to Kashgar. That connection made me feel even closer to this place.”
Their cafe features hand-crafted pottery cups from Kashgar and wall decorations from Africa.
“Tanzanian coffee beans are well-known in the Chinese market,” said Dilxat Tursun. “So in March
2023, we opened this cafe together. Hadiya taught me how to grind beans and brew rich, flavorful
coffee. Our lattes are made with local milk and Tanzanian coffee beans, a fusion that reflects the
East-meets-West charm of Kashgar ancient city.”
“With China’s visa-free policy expanding its coverage, we’re seeing more and more international
visitors at our cafe,” he added.
As the business grows, securing a steady supply of coffee beans has become a top priority. “When
we first started, we would bring beans back with us during family visits to Tanzania. Now, they’re
shipped via a more stable route – from Africa to Europe, then to Kashgar by China-Europe freight
trains,” he explained.
At the end of last year, construction began on the China–Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan Railway. Dilxat
Tursun was among the first to celebrate the news. “This railway starts in Kashgar. We hope for its
swift completion and operation, which would make coffee bean transport even easier. More
importantly, I believe this project will open up more trade opportunities and improve daily life for
people in the countries along the route,” he said.

By Cui Yan, People’s Daily
Traveling along China’s coastal highways today, one frequently encounters vast stretches of wind
farms, their towering turbines steadily spinning under the open sky – a striking emblem of the
country’s accelerating energy transition.
In the first quarter of this year, the country’s installed capacity of wind and photovoltaic power
reached 1.482 billion kilowatts, exceeding that of thermal power for the first time in history.
With the rapid expansion of renewable installations, wind and solar power are set to continue
leading China’s energy mix in the years ahead, reflecting a profound adjustment of the country’s
energy structure.
Once niche industries, China’s wind and solar sectors have grown into global frontrunners in both
innovation and manufacturing, progressing from reliance on foreign core technologies to
becoming the world’s largest exporter of wind and solar equipment.
Perseverance and practical action
China’s energy transition is above all a story of steady determination and pragmatic policymaking.
Over time, the country has pursued a carefully structured approach to advancing its energy
revolution. Central to this revolution is the development of a clean, low-carbon, safe and efficient
energy system.
Step by step, China has implemented tangible measures: building pilot zones for photovoltaic
development and large-scale renewable energy bases, fostering rapid innovation through
demonstration projects, and refining regulatory frameworks for renewable energy pricing,
consumption guarantees, and market mechanisms. These sustained efforts have laid the
groundwork for renewables to become a new pillar of the country’s modern industrial system.
Innovation as driving force
At the core of this energy transformation lies a relentless pursuit of innovation. Technological
advancement has propelled China to the forefront of global renewable energy development, with
breakthroughs spanning materials, design, and technology.
The country has developed a 26-megawatt offshore wind turbine, the largest of its kind in the
world, with all 30,000 components produced domestically and key technologies leading the world.
It has also developed the longest wind turbine blades, supporting onshore turbines as tall as 60-
story skyscrapers. In photovoltaics, China’s all-perovskite tandem solar cells have achieved a
record-setting 28.2 percent photoelectric conversion efficiency. These accomplishments
underscore a broader ecosystem of innovation that continues to fuel progress in clean energy
technologies.
Global vision for sustainable development
China actively contributes its green development achievements to global progress.
Acknowledging energy security and climate change as shared global challenges, the country
accelerates its green, low-carbon transition while promoting sustainable development worldwide.
China has built the world’s largest and most complete new energy industrial chain and expanded
the global reach of its photovoltaic and wind power equipment. China has always prioritized
practical cooperation through technology transfer and supply chain integration, serving as a
committed advocate and contributor to global green and low-carbon development.