China’s fruit lovers relish the taste of ‘cherry freedom’ as prices plunge

Cherries were once considered a luxury item in China, but a flood of cheap Chilean imports has tanked prices ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday

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Customers buy imported Chilean cherries at a supermarket in Tianjin, northern China, ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 10:00am, 31 Jan 2025Updated: 8:44am, 1 Feb 2025

Lunar New Year, arguably China’s biggest annual holiday, can be seen as a barometer for the country’s economy. As more than a billion people travel, shop, eat and give gifts to family and friends, their preferences and habits paint a picture of the nation’s consumption over a few festive weeks. This is the eighth story in a nine-part series.

China’s middle class is savouring the sweet, sweet taste of “cherry freedom” ahead of this year’s Lunar New Year holiday, as falling prices make the fruit affordable to millions of consumers for the first time in years.

Cherries were once seen as a luxury item in China, with prices often above 100 yuan (US$13.75) per 500 grams (17.64 ounces), but that has changed dramatically in recent months after a record-breaking harvest in Chile led to a surge in cheap imports.

Prices have fallen to under one-third of their original level – half a kilogram of cherries now sells for just 30 yuan – sparking a buying spree among Chinese fruit lovers.

The term “cherry freedom” has become a buzzword on Chinese social media as a result, as users expressed delight at finally being able to buy the fruit again without feeling guilty.

Many of them had previously stopped splashing out on pricey cherries amid China’s recent “consumption downgrade”, as shrinking incomes and dimming job prospects led consumers to cut back on spending.

A historic cherry harvest in Chile has sparked a flood of imported fruit into the Chinese market this year.

The Chilean Fruit Exporters Association predicted that Chile’s cherry production for the 2024-2025 season would reach a record high, with an expected export volume of 620,000 tonnes – 50 per cent higher than the previous season, Chinese media outlet Yicai reported earlier this month.

More than 90 per cent of Chile’s cherry exports are shipped to the Chinese market, according to Yicai, meaning the bumper crop quickly translated into lower prices.

SCMP Series

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China’s fruit lovers relish the taste of ‘cherry freedom’ as prices plunge

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Cherries were once considered a luxury item in China, but a flood of cheap Chilean imports has tanked prices ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday

Cherries were once considered a luxury item in China, but a flood of cheap Chilean imports has tanked prices ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday