"China: Japanese citrus "Shiranui" now available"

The “Ugly Fruit” is actually a "Shiranui Orange", which originated from Japan. It's a citrus, named after the "Shiranui" hybrid. The "Ugly Fruit" was imported from Japan to Sichuan and has been named the "Ugly Orange" due to its appearance.

Compared to common citrus fruit, the rind of the "Ugly Fruit" is wrinkled, dull, looks like it is no longer fresh, in addition to stems that protrude like tumours. Compared with other brightly coloured and attractive fruits in the fruit shop, along with carrying the name “Ugly Fruit", this does not affect its high selling price ranging from 7.5 to 12.8 yuan per half kilo.

It is easy to find “Ugly Fruit” in the market. A Changzhou market fruit stand owner said that the fruit entered the market this year. With its strange appearance and high price of 9.8 yuan per half kilo, it takes some selling to get customers to buy it. However, once they have bought it, they will certainly come back and buy it again.

A fruit stand owner at the Qin Ye vegetable market said, "'Ugly Fruit' only arrived at the Changzhou market just after the Chinese New Year, but recent sales have increased significantly. Almost all were repeat customers.

In addition to its appearance and taste, the "Ugly Fruit" orange has another feature: unlike the pulp and skin of normal oranges which are tightly bound, it’s pulp and skin are loose and easy to peel. One downside is that due to the “Ugly Fruit's” appearance, it is difficult to distinguish a good one from the bad one, which sellers have used to their advantage. If the fruit has really gone bad, there is a chance that the seller will say, "It has not gone bad, that fruit is really like that." When selecting, feel it like a real orange. If it has gone too soft then it may be overripe.