Every summer, baskets of golden Xiemo apricots appear at Zhuanghe markets — large, thin-skinned, thick-fleshed, bursting with juice and a characteristic fragrance. Legend ties the name to General Xue Rengui’s army resting their horses here in the Tang dynasty; the orchards themselves are indeed over a century old, with ancient trees still fruiting. Grown at the southern tip of the Liaodong Peninsula with ample sun, big day-night temperature swings and clean water, each fruit can weigh 100–150 grams. Eaten fresh, dried as apricots, or made into jam and wine, the sweetness of a hundred-year orchard is one of Zhuanghe’s freshest signatures.