In the early morning, in the ten thousand acres of coconut groves south of Bangkok, Thailand, workers are busy picking perfumed coconuts. The owner of this coconut grove is Qin Shaoyu. Ten years ago, he was conquered by the sweet and milky fragrance of a perfumed coconut, and he has since taken root in a foreign country. Today, his coconuts are on the shelves of Chinese supermarkets and sold all over the world.
What makes perfumed coconuts "fresh" to Chinese dining tables is a logistics network that is accurate to the hour. From Thailand to Qinzhou Port in Guangxi, it only takes three days by sea and more than one day by land to Nanning, which is the golden time for fresh-cut processing. "The coconuts are a little astringent when they are picked, and the acidity naturally subsides after being transported by cold chain for three days. At this time, they are processed into coconut eggs in Nanning, and the taste and color are at their peak." Qin Shaoyu said.
Clearing customs in 15 seconds and serving it to the table in the fastest 48 hours... From the branches to the tip of the tongue, a relay race for "freshness" is running day and night between China and ASEAN countries.
The port passes "in seconds" and the fruity aroma "leaves ahead"
In the early morning, cross-border cold chain vehicles loaded with fresh fruits arrived at Youyiguan Port in Pingxiang City, Guangxi. After swiping the ID card and passing the card, a truck carrying 17 tons of Vietnamese durians passed through the smart checkpoint. The whole process took less than 15 seconds. Driver Li Hainan makes several trips a day: "This speed was unimaginable before."
Friendship Pass Port is one of the largest land fruit import and export ports in China. One out of every three imported durians in the country enters the country through this port. From January to July this year, 1.7335 million tons of ASEAN fruits were imported through Guangxi ports, with a value of 26.025 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 6.83% and 19.19% respectively.
Li Lin, vice president of Xinrongmao Fruit Technology Group, has a deep understanding of this. About 90% of the group's Vietnamese durians and 70% of Thai durians choose to enter through the Youyiguan Port. "Guangxi is not only the closest, but also has shorter land transportation time than railway and sea transportation. It is the only way to reach the Pearl River Delta and Yangtze River Delta markets."
After the fruit passes the level, you have to "run" out quickly.
At Nanning Jiangnan International Fruit Trading Market, the air is filled with a rich tropical fruit aroma. Since durians entered the centralized marketing period, being “busy” has become the daily norm for fruit wholesaler Guo Huizhen. Due to durian's good quality and affordable price, buyers come in droves. Guo Huizhen said while writing the order neatly: "Sometimes when the goods arrive in the early morning, the buyers have already waited here in advance, and the latest loading time is three or four in the morning." Through their hands, fresh and high-quality durians are continuously shipped to various parts of Guangxi and exported to Sichuan and Shandong.
Today, ASEAN fruits imported from Pingxiang Port can reach Guangzhou Jiangnan Fruit and Vegetable Wholesale Market in 7 hours eastward; and 30 hours northward to Beijing Xinfadi Market. Zhang Yuelin, general manager of Beijing Xinfadi Market, said that in 2025, the imported fruit transaction volume of Xinfadi Market was 425,600 tons, with a transaction volume of 13.582 billion yuan, of which fruits imported from ASEAN countries accounted for about 85%.
Channels weave a network, mountains and seas "hold hands"
The China-Laos Railway in the direction of Yunnan has also joined this "fresh" relay.
In the early morning, a "Lanmei-Mekong Express" train loaded with Thai durians successfully arrived at Kunming Wangjiaying West Station after 26 hours of operation on the China-Laos Railway. In addition to part of this batch of durians being supplied to the local market in Yunnan, most of the durians will be seamlessly connected by rail and highway and delivered to more than 30 cities across the country within 48 hours.
As a core component of the New Western Land-Sea Corridor and a key cross-border passage, since its opening in December 2021, the China-Laos Railway has allowed durian, banana, dragon fruit, mangosteen and other Southeast Asian tropical fruits to enter thousands of households in China via cargo trains. As of August 12, the total cross-border imported fruits transported via the China-Laos railway this year exceeded 200,000 tons.
The relevant person in charge of the Thai Specialty Durian Association said: "The China-Laos railway has greatly shortened transportation time, the quality of fresh fruits is more guaranteed, and logistics costs have also been significantly reduced. This makes us confident in deeply exploring the Chinese market."
Radiating from the southwest port to the vast inland, a new western land-sea channel allows ASEAN fruits to "reach all directions."
In the exhibition hall of the New Western Land-Sea Corridor Operation Co., Ltd. in Chongqing, a large electronic screen displays the tracks of sea-rail combined transport trains, cross-border highway shuttles, and international railway combined transport in real time. This channel connects Guangxi's port entry trunk line and inland distribution network, enabling ASEAN agricultural products to enter China and western specialty fruits to go overseas in both directions. Taking the rail-sea combined transport from Qinzhou Port to Chongqing as an example, it can reach Chongqing from Guangxi Port within 32 hours at the fastest, and the comprehensive logistics cost is reduced by more than 30%.
At the other end of the passage, Chongqing Jiangjin Shuangfu International Agricultural Trade City is busy. In the store of Xianyoujianong By-products Co., Ltd., more than 20 workers are busy dismantling the newly arrived Thai golden pillow durians, grading, labeling, and packing them. Trucks full of ASEAN fresh fruits are ready to be shipped to supermarkets in Sichuan and Chongqing.
“It is the peak season for durian sales right now, with a single-day shipment volume of up to 3,000 pieces.” Zhang Yi, the person in charge of the company, pointed to the more than 800 square meters of business space filled with cargo boxes. The store’s own cold storage is now operating at full capacity.
Yang Li, director of the economic development post of Shuangfu Street in Jiangjin District, said that relying on the new Western Land-Sea Corridor cold chain line, ASEAN fruits entering from Guangxi ports go directly to Chongqing and complete secondary distribution here, covering wholesale markets, community supermarkets, and offline fruit stores in various provinces and cities.
Every year, millions of tons of tropical fruits arrive in Chongqing via the New Western Land-Sea Corridor, and then radiate to central and western provinces such as Sichuan, Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, and Gansu, forming a mature distribution network with Chongqing as the core and multi-level node linkage, with an efficient distribution radius of thousands of kilometers.
Wang Hao, general manager of Sichuan Langhao Import and Export Group Co., Ltd., who has been importing durians for nearly ten years, has deep experience: "In the past, the whole journey of Thai durians to China by highway took 7-9 days, and the transportation cost of a container was about 50,000 yuan, with a loss rate of 10%. Instead, we took the China-Laos train, which can go directly to Chengdu in 72 hours at the fastest. The transportation cost is saved by 50%, and the loss rate is almost zero."
Sweetness has entered thousands of homes, and the scene is "new"
ASEAN fresh fruits are flowing from wholesale markets to restaurant kitchens and into the daily dining tables of ordinary people. They are also integrated into urban fireworks and new consumption trends.
Durian is not only eaten raw, but can also be eaten as a vegetable. At the popular food stall "Shatou Four Seasons" in Futian District, Shenzhen, ASEAN durian has become a signature item - Golden Pillow durian with cheese grilled prawns and crabs, and Musang King durian with birthday cake, which are deeply loved by diners. Owner Huang Guocheng said that the store consumes 30 to 40 durians every day. When business is booming, sales can exceed 100 durians, and the annual purchase volume reaches dozens of tons.
The industrial chain is also extending downward. Li Zhanwen, general manager of Guangxi Kafeng Guiyue Fruity Food Co., Ltd., described the whole process of "eating dry and squeezing" an ASEAN fruit like this: "After imported coconut green, it can be processed into coconut yellow, coconut meat, coconut water, and even the waste can be made into coconut bran and coconut bricks." Liang Xuan, the inheritor of sour food making skills, is trying to make sour food with raw durian: "Many snacks similar to sour food are popular in ASEAN, which provides us with broad space for expansion."
The supply and sales in the streets are booming, making the fruit economy show even more vitality. In Guangxi Pingxiang Logistics Park, Jinzhen, Maoshan King and Ganyao are piled high, priced at 13 to 22 yuan per catty. The stall owner, Lao Chen, was opening durians for customers: "There are tourists here from all over the country, and we help pick them." When the knife was cut, the golden flesh burst out, and the onlookers exclaimed.
On the streets of Pingxiang, durian and mangosteen-shaped landscapes stand in the center of the green belt; in the characteristic streets of Puzhai, durian slippers and durian pendants have become the most popular souvenirs for young people. "We are creating a new ASEAN fruit consumption scene in one city, so that tourists can be attracted, eat well and stay." said Huang Chaohui, director of the Pingxiang City Culture, Tourism, Sports, Radio, Film and Television Bureau.
On September 16, the Pinglu Canal was completed and opened to navigation. This golden waterway, with a total length of 134.2 kilometers and capable of navigation of 5,000-ton ships, will run directly from the Pingtang River Estuary in Hengzhou City, Nanning, to the Beibu Gulf. "After the Pinglu Canal is opened to navigation, the cost of ASEAN fruits exported to China is expected to be reduced by another 30%." Cao Derong, president of the China Chamber of Commerce for Importers and Exporters of Food, Native Produce and Livestock, said that with the acceleration of version 3.0 of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area, new varieties such as Lao durian and Vietnamese jackfruit have been allowed to be exported to China, and a trade pattern with richer categories and easier access has accelerated.
Nowadays, when ASEAN fresh fruits enter China and Chinese fruits go overseas, they no longer only have the "fastness" of customs clearance at ports and the "smoothness" of speeding trains, but also the "stability" of direct access to rivers and seas. This "fruit artery" that works day and night is bringing more sweetness into the daily lives of hundreds of millions of Chinese people. (He Ning, Lei Qijun, Wang Xing, Cheng Hao, Hu Hong, Bao Congying, Hou Linlin)
