Yantai's Qixia alight with apple art festival

Yantai's Qixia is known as "China's Apple Capital". [Photo/VCG]

The 22nd Qixia Apple Art Festival kicked off in Qixia, Yantai on Oct 26 and has a diverse array of activities that will run until Nov 10.

The festival's opening day featured a cultural extravaganza at the Qixia Citizen Cultural Square that got a raucous applause. Meanwhile, the heritage exhibition and apple product stalls on the square's west side attracted a steady stream of visitors.

A craftsperson showcases her paper-cut artwork featuring apple designs. [Photo/WeChat account: qixiafabu]

Qixia's apples are known for their thin skin, crisp texture, and delightful sweet-tart flavor. Their unique quality comes from the region's exceptional climate, soil, and ecology, which has earned Qixia the moniker "China's Apple Capital".

This year, Qixia is set to yield approximately 2.1 million metric tons of apples, with a 10 percent increase in bagged fruit and high-quality fruit rates from the previous year. To enhance fruit quality through delayed harvesting, the harvest season is projected to conclude by Nov 10.

Since 2002, Qixia has hosted its apple art festival 21 times, playing a pivotal role in propelling apple production towards premium standards and facilitating a profound transformation in the apple industry. The festival is eagerly awaited by fruit growers as a crucial platform for connecting Qixia's apple production and sales.