A woman picks grapes in a vineyard on Mengjiawan Mountain in Yingdianjie town in Zhuji. [Photo/zjol.com.cn]

Tourists recently flocked to Mengjiawan Mountain in Yingdianjie town, Zhuji city, Zhejiang province to pick and taste grapes grown in greenhouses. Few could imagine that the vast orchards they were touring were once part of a deserted mine.

Local villagers reclaimed the wasteland left from the mine in 2016 and started to grow fruit there. The orchards in Mengjiawan Mountain occupy a total area of 65 mu (4.3 hectares), of which 16 mu are vineyards.

Yu Liguang, a vineyard owner, said: “My vineyard produced 1,250 kilos of grapes per mu last year, bringing me total profits of 200,000 yuan ($29,280).” According to Yu, the vineyard, situated at a high altitude, receives ample sunlight and experiences a significant change in temperature between day and night, which explains why the grapes grown in the area are so sweet in taste.

Yu has decided to expand his vineyard and grow other varieties of fruits that ripen at different times of year. He believes an extended fruit harvest season would attract even more tourists.

By renovating the deserted mines, Yingdianjie town has also grown a ginkgo forest in Lingshanwu village, a yellow peach orchard in Dingxu village, a pear orchard in Banxi village, and another orchard in Liuxiazhuang village. The former mines have become today's land of opportunity for locals.