July is mangosteen season in Hainan! Shoppers can now easily find fresh mangosteen for sale at markets. Fruit vendors everywhere around Hainan are selling the plum-sized tropical fruit.

Plantation – Wuzhishan

The purple mangosteen is a tropical evergreen tree believed to have originated in the Sunda Islands and the Moluccas of Indonesia. Mangosteen arrived in Hainan in 1960, when the fruit was introduced from Malaysia to the Maodaoxiang area/毛道乡 of Wuzhishan City. Wuzhishan City is a large-scale mangosteen plantation located in the hinterlands of south-central Hainan Island.

With a latitude of 18 degrees north, Wuzhishan has an annual average temperature of 22.4°C, giving it a hot and wet climate with high humidity and highly acidic soil — the perfect conditions as good as other tropical regions for growing mangosteen tree.

 

July and August in Wuzhishan are the harvest season for mangosteens. Known as the “Queen of Fruits”, the exotic purple-skinned fruit is deliciously sweet with juicy, delicate, milky white flesh. The fruit is unusual in that the white meat inside is generally not swallowed; instead, mangosteen is chewed for its sweet juices, and then the white fruit is spit out.

Along with its wonderful flavor, mangosteen has a host of health benefits. The purple skin is believed to be rich in powerful antioxidants. Mangosteen can produce xanthone compounds that have been proven to have anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties, and to boost the immune system.