Containers filled with imported cherries from Chile now take less than two hours to go from docking to market in China, thanks to close coordination among ports, customs and logistics firms, resulting in a sweet deal for the country's many cherry lovers.
As the peak season approaches, China's largest cherry import hub, Nansha Port in Guangzhou City of south China's Guangdong Province, is processing massive volumes at record speed.
Before the Spring Festival in mid-February, imports at Nansha Port are expected to exceed 200,000 tons, accounting for nearly one-third of China's total cherry imports.
China has been Chile's largest cherry export market for seven consecutive years, with more than 92 percent of Chilean cherries destined for Chinese consumers. Supporting this flow is a highly efficient logistics system designed to move fresh fruit from ship to shelf within hours.
"[The cherry season runs from] mid-December through February. So far, Nansha Port has operated 18 dedicated cherry routes. For each ship and its specific conditions, we develop a tailored plan. The containers are unloaded directly from the ship onto the customer's trailer and transported directly to the market," said Huang Minshan, client manager of the Business Development Department at Guangzhou Port Nansha Phase II Terminal.
Just ten minutes from the dock sits Asia's largest single integrated cold-chain facility, where temperature-controlled inspections keep cherries fresh, even during peak arrival periods. Customs officers use smart devices to verify shipment data submitted before vessels arrive.
"With a focus on both safety and efficiency, we have opened a green channel for fresh imports with 24-hour appointment-based customs clearance. Containers that don't require inspection can leave immediately, while those awaiting inspection are sent directly from the ship to the Nansha international logistics center. The Nansha Port has attracted the import of 23 types of fruits from 13 countries and regions, continuously enriching the dining tables of domestic consumers," said Lin Xiaojing, head of Cold Chain Supervision Section 1 at Nansha Customs.
From the port, the cherries make their way to Jiangnan Fruit and Vegetable Wholesale Market, the largest of its kind in south China. There, distributors move fast and sign their names on the boxes to lock in the freshest arrivals, ensuring that produce reaches dining tables as quickly as possible.
Close coordination allows imported cherries to quickly reach consumers in China
As the conflict in the Gaza Strip enters its third year, Palestinians are facing a catastrophic humanitarian crisis marked by widespread destruction, severe shortages, and systemic displacement.
Amid the widespread destruction, they are navigating their individual stories of loss, injury, and displacement as they are struggling to rebuild their lives.
Before the conflict which erupted in October 2023, painting was Areej Al-Saafin's passion. However, her brother was killed and her family home was damaged. Al-Saafin and her mother are among the more than 174,000 Palestinians wounded in the war. Having lost one eye, the artist said the trauma has profoundly changed her perspective and her craft.
"As a woman in Gaza, I am destroyed psychologically and physically. I no longer have the same passion as before. Physically, I lost my eye, and I can't focus on painting like I used to," Al-Saafin said.
While large parts of Gaza have been reduced to rubble, some residents are finding their ways to restart their businesses amid the destruction. In eastern Gaza City, Basel Al-Batsh operates a small recycling workshop, producing parts that have become increasingly difficult to obtain due to closed crossings. His own factory was destroyed in the war, forcing him to start over with fewer resources.
"We collect aluminum from the rubble of destroyed homes and recycle it into parts that are no longer allowed into Gaza through the closed crossings, such as generator components and spare parts for cars and trucks," Al-Batsh said.
For others, rebuilding means regaining basic mobility. Omar Halawa was twelve when an Israeli airstrike cost him his right leg. Now thirteen, he is among thousands of war-related amputees in a territory which the United Nations says is home to the largest cohort of child amputees in modern history. Halawa is still waiting for a suitable prosthetic leg.
"I dream of living a good life in a safe place and getting a prosthetic leg so I can walk normally, play football with my friends and go swimming," Halawa said.
Meanwhile, some women who lost limbs in the conflict have begun their journey back to the football pitch. On a field in central Gaza, young women train on crutches as part of Palestine's first women's amputee football team. Among them is 24-year-old Rozan Khaira, a former runner.
"I joined the team because I was already an athlete. Sports have been part of my life since childhood, and my family is also very athletic. Losing my leg will not stop me from pursuing my dreams and favorite hobbies," Khaira said.
The war has taken a massive toll on the younger generation, with more than 21,000 Palestinian children killed since the conflict began. For some displaced children, recovery is taking the form of music. Inside temporary learning spaces, they are finding a different sound from the war around them, using music to learn, play, and feel like children again. Ghazal Abu Jibba is learning to play the violin.
"We now come every day because the music makes us feel better, especially given the conditions we are living through. We want the war to end so that we, as children, can live in peace and safety," Abu Jibba said.
Across the devastated enclave, tens of millions of tonnes of rubble remain, standing in the way of reconstruction. Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump's vision of turning Gaza into what he called the "Riviera of the Middle East", a plan linked to the relocation of Palestinians, has met widespread rejection. Despite the ruins, many remain determined to stay on their land.
After three years of war, more than 74,000 Palestinians have been killed, and most of Gaza's homes have been destroyed or damaged. Yet amid the loss and pain, Gazans continue to rebuild their lives, holding on to the hope for a better future.
Palestinians in Gaza struggling to rebuild their lives amid widespread destruction
