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During the recent harvest season in Jiaxing, East China's Zhejiang province, citrus fruits, peaches, and other local specialties drove rural growth.

In Haining's Shenxian Lake scenic area, fruit grower Yang Fuhai sells "Red Beauty" mandarins at 30 yuan ($4.22) per kilogram, three times the price of regular mandarins.

Jiaxing has identified 168 local specialties and developed 17 full industrial chains worth more than 1 billion yuan each, combined 35 billion yuan. As Zhejiang launches an initiative to achieve prosperity by harnessing local specialties, Jiaxing's practices highlight how distinctive products can stimulate both industry and income.

The city is reviving traditional foods and integrating them into modern production. Items such as Nanhu water caltrops, Tongxiang Zuili plums, and Haining's Chang'an banquet balls reflect both natural strengths and cultural heritage. Increasingly, these specialties support tourism, cultural products, and rural experiences.

Brand building has strengthened competitiveness. Fengqiao town's Sanxing village launched a peach quality-control center to standardize grading, helping its peaches reach more than 200 cities. Jiaxing has also extended industrial chains. The Jiaxing black pig industry now covers breeding, processing, cold-chain transport, and cultural tourism, with an annual output exceeding 10 billion yuan and benefiting more than 6,500 farmers.

Digital tools are widening market access. In Honghe town, livestreaming has expanded pear sales nationwide.

A new generation of young farmers is modernizing branding and marketing. As Jiaxing develops complete industrial chains, local specialties are becoming strong engines of rural development.