Close ties with factories benefit farmers

"This variety of yellow peach has a good look and tastes juicy," said Lian Shidong, a farmer in the village of Xinzhuang, as he trimmed the branches of a peach tree. "This variety produces more fruit than other varieties do."

Lian has been cultivating fruit trees for three decades. He is now an expert in cultivating new varieties of fruit and tending trees to maximize the harvest.

Farmers in this area of Difang town, Pingyi county in Shandong province, have found an agreeable environment and fertile soil to grow fruit, making possible a robust canned fruit industry. The town's 68 canneries produce one-third of the canned fruit sold in China.