Farmers in Xuecungou village, Hanxue township of Wanrong county in Yuncheng, Shanxi province, sort and dry persimmons after the recent abundant harvest. [Photo by Zhang Huaixin/For chinadaily.com.cn]

During the golden autumn season, farmers in Hanxue township of Wanrong county in Yuncheng, Shanxi province, are welcoming a bountiful harvest of persimmons.

They are busy gathering the fruit and drying it for snacks, which will become sweeter after exposure to the sun for two to three weeks.

Persimmons have been placed around virtually every house in the village, presenting a charming harvest scene.

Hanxue's location on the Loess Plateau provides favorable conditions for persimmon production. The township produces about 25,000 metric tons of persimmons annually and processes 18,000 tons of persimmon snacks, helping locals steadily increase their income.

Farmers in Xuecungou village, Hanxue township of Wanrong county in Yuncheng, Shanxi province, sort and dry persimmons after the recent abundant harvest. [Photo by Zhang Huaixin/For chinadaily.com.cn]

"Persimmons have become the leading industry of our village," said Huang Gedong, Party secretary of Xuecungou village in Hanxue. "Over the past years, both the scale and quality of the industry have been steadily improving."

Over 33 hectares of land have been planted with persimmon trees. More than 200 households participate in persimmon processing, generating an annual comprehensive income of 5 million yuan ($704,540).

"To promote the industry, we must maximize and optimize local advantages," said Huang. "We should extend the industrial chain to significantly increase the value of persimmons." With this goal in mind, the Party secretary leads villagers to do deep processing of persimmon snacks while embracing the trend of e-commerce live-streaming to sell Wanrong persimmon snacks across the country through the internet.

Farmers in Xuecungou village, Hanxue township of Wanrong county in Yuncheng, Shanxi province, sort and dry persimmons after the recent abundant harvest. [Photo by Zhang Huaixin/For chinadaily.com.cn]

In recent years, Hanxue has mirrored the development of traditional economic crops like apples and peaches by encouraging villagers to expand persimmon planting and improve their processing system.

Their persimmon snacks have been sold in major cities like Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou in Guangdong province, becoming a distinctive industry card driving rural vitalization.

Lyu Peipei contributed to this story.

Huang Gedong (left), Party secretary of Xuecungou village, Hanxue township of Wanrong county in Yuncheng, Shanxi province, sorts and dries persimmons with a villager after the recent abundant harvest. [Photo by Zhang Huaixin/For chinadaily.com.cn] 

Huang Gedong (left), Party secretary of Xuecungou village, Hanxue township of Wanrong county in Yuncheng, Shanxi province, sorts and dries persimmons with a villager after the recent abundant harvest. [Photo by Zhang Huaixin/For chinadaily.com.cn] 

Farmers in Xuecungou village, Hanxue township of Wanrong county in Yuncheng, Shanxi province, sort and dry persimmons after the recent abundant harvest. [Photo by Zhang Huaixin/For chinadaily.com.cn]