On July 26, the 1st Yanling Yellow Peach Cultural Festival and the opening ceremony for the 9th Yanling Yellow Peach Conference, kicked off at Pingle Village, Zhongcun Yao Township, Yanling County, Zhuzhou. 

Yanling yellow peach distributors are presented certificates of authorization. (Photo/Zhang Mi)

The Yanling County Cultural Center and the Emperor Yan Culture and Art Inheritance Center of the county staged singing and dancing performances to celebrate the bumper harvest of peaches.

The county's agricultural and rural affairs bureau granted certificates of authorization to 20 distributors, to establish cooperative ties and to enhance the sales and brand image of Yanling yellow peaches.

A third-party testing result was unveiled on the site, indicating that all Yanling yellow peach samples passed the test with all indicators exceeding the national quality standards.

A memorial ceremony was held at the Mausoleum of Emperor Yan before the opening of the festival. Yanling county government officials, agricultural experts, businessmen in the yellow peach industrial chain, and yellow peach farmers got together to commemorate Emperor Yan.

Emperor Yan, also known as Shennong or the "Divine Farmer," is regarded as the ancestor of all Chinese and the founder of Chinese farming civilization.

Yanling County is well-known for its high-quality yellow peaches. More than 34,000 peach farmers in the county have been lifted out of poverty and get rich through yellow peach planting. Over the past four decades, the Yanling yellow peach industry has realized "four transformations" from a natural to a commodity economy, from a regional to a national brand, from domestic to international markets, and from economic to cultural significance. Yanling yellow peaches have been exported to many countries and regions in southeast Asia and the Middle East, linking Yanling County to the world.

On the occasion of the festival, Yanling County recommended three travel routes for blessings, study tours, and wellness. A variety of scenic areas are rolling out preferential policies and are organizing folk cultural performances and related activities. Tourists may follow the WeChat public accounts of the scenic areas to get more detailed information.

The festival is hosted by the CPC Yanling County Committee and the Yanling County People's Government.