On November 23, the 2025 Hunan Citrus Festival (Mayang Sub-venue) and Mayang Sugar Orange Picking Season kicked off in Mayang Miao Autonomous County, known as the “Hometown of Chinese Sugar Oranges”. Themed “Good Oranges Lead to Longevity”, this grand event was jointly hosted by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of Hunan Province and the People’s Government of Huaihua City and organized by the People’s Government of Mayang Miao Autonomous County and Hunan Citrus Association. Provincial and municipal leading citrus experts as well as merchants from across the country gathered for the sweet harvest, jointly creating the industry blueprint and witnessing a new chapter in the high-quality development of the Mayang sugar orange industry. The event reported purchase and sales cooperation agreements with contracts totaling RMB320 million. An international freight convoy loaded with sugar oranges set off for overseas markets.
Leveraging its unique ecological endowment as a “World Longevity County” and the natural endowment of selenium-rich soil, Mayang has been dedicated to the sugar orange industry for decades and made the industry a “shining brand” across the country. At present, the planting area of sugar oranges across the county reaches 285,000 mu (19,000 hectares), with an annual output of over 530,100 metric tons, leading the nation in both planting area and output and generating an annual output value of RMB1.96 billion. The golden sugar orange has not only boosted the income of the local people but also fueled rural revitalization, injecting vibrant vitality into the county.
The opening ceremony boasted many highlights. Centre Testing International Group Co., Ltd. officially released the carbon footprint certification results for Mayang sugar oranges, and Beijing Biaolian Zhongheng Certification Co., Ltd. formally awarded Mayang the selenium-rich featured agricultural product certification. The two certifications assure consumers of the health benefits of Mayang sugar oranges from a scientific perspective. The event was met with thunderous applause as a series of honors were bestowed upon industry pioneers. Honorary titles such as “Star Village of Citrus Industry” and “Top Orange” were given, and winners of the local citrus socialized service competition took the stage to accept their awards, demonstrating the praise for craftsmanship and innovation. Of particular note was the awarding of the 2025 Public Regional Brand Value Plaque for Mayang citrus, with a brand value of RMB3,379 million, demonstrating the market’s highest recognition for and trust in the quality of Mayang citrus.
Brand promotion and market expansion were simultaneously advanced, creating powerful momentum. At the event, five Mayang sugar orange promotion ambassadors for 2025 were officially appointed; 20 local internet influencers were awarded the title of “Promotion Officer”; and the newly built “Orange Star” live-streaming team made a dazzling debut. By integrating online and offline efforts, the event ignited a craze for orange promotion, and a new comprehensive and multi-channel marketing ecosystem was built. During the signing ceremony, the People’s Government of Mayang Miao Autonomous County reached agreements on in-depth strategic cooperation with Hunan Aoxiang Jingwei Technology, Shenzhen Agricultural Power, and other enterprises. Mayang Blue Phoenix Agricultural Development Co., Ltd. signed trade agreements with international merchants from Malaysia, Kenya, and Somalia. In this way, the sugar oranges are further introduced to emerging markets such as ASEAN and Africa. As the whistle blew, the international export convoy loaded with golden oranges headed towards the distance. The global journey of Mayang sugar oranges started again, from Huaihua International Land Port to Russia, Malaysia, and East African countries.
This picking season event not only marked a celebration of a bountiful harvest but also vividly showcased the deep integration of Miao ethnic customs, the longevity culture, and characteristic industries. “Orange Loong”, an innovatively created mascot, made a vibrant debut. The “Orange Star” live-streaming team had active online and offline interactions with viewers, sparking extensive participation, promotion frenzies and widespread online discussion. The upcoming “Changhe Cup” First Mayang Live Commerce Competition is expected to ignite the passion of e-commerce workers, and tasting and promotional events will be launched in key cities across the country, including Beijing, Tianjin, Shenzhen, and Changsha. These efforts will further improve brand volume and ignite market enthusiasm.
Mayang has pioneered an efficient planting model featuring “government guidance, expert empowerment, and local talent participation”, setting a benchmark for the high-quality development of the citrus industry in Hunan Province and forming a unique “Mayang approach”. The rise of the Mayang sugar orange industry is a vivid practice of Mayang in leading high-quality development through high-standard opening up. With an increasingly complete industrial chain and unimpeded international logistics channels, the sweet Mayang oranges are continuously delivered to global consumers, showcasing Mayang’s green endeavors in rural revitalization.
The launch of the 2025 Mayang Sugar Orange Picking Season marks a new starting point for industrial development and a new opportunity for rural revitalization. Mayang will leverage this event to continuously strengthen the sugar orange industry, deepen the integration of agriculture, culture, and tourism, introduce the brand to the whole country and the whole world, continuously tap into the development potential of the golden sugar oranges, and inject stronger vitality into high-quality local economic development and rural revitalization.
（Translated by Professor Yu Jie）