Pinggu, Beijing Municipality, China

🇨🇳 Pinggu District (平谷区), formerly Pinggu County (平谷县), lies in the far east of Beijing Municipality. It has an area of 950 square km (370 sq mi). The district is subdivided into 2 subdistricts, 14 towns, and 2 townships. It borders the Beijing districts of Miyun and Shunyi to the north and west, respectively, Tianjin's Jizhou District to the south-east, and in Hebei province, Xinglong County and Sanhe to the north-east and south, respectively.

History Pinggu District was formerly Pinggu County until 2001. In 1986, the 10,000-capacity Pinggu Stadium, which is used mostly for football matches, opened.

Administrative divisions There are 2 subdistricts, 14 towns with 4 towns of which carry the "area" (地区) label, and 2 townships in the district:

Economy Pinggu district prides itself on the cultivation of the peach. In 2009, it represented a growing area of over 6,000 hectares and an annual output of 270 million kilograms of more than 200 varieties of peaches in four major categories. Providing employment for over 150,000 people, Pinggu peaches are also an important source of economic growth for the people in the region. Peaches originated in China and have been cultivated there for thousands of years. The peach tree has special significance in Chinese culture, with it being considered to be the “tree of life,” and peaches are recognised as symbols of immortality and unity. What sets Pinggu peaches apart from those cultivated in other regions are their beautiful colors, high sugar content, unique flavor and large size. These characteristics are a direct result of the unique geographical properties of Pinggu. With mountains on three sides and plains at its centre, Pinggu’s fresh air, low pollution, sandy soil, plentiful water supply and the marked difference between day and night temperatures make for ideal peach growing conditions. By 2005 orchard owners were exporting them to over twenty provinces in China as well as foreign markets such as Brunei, the European Union, Russia Singapore and Thailand.

To register a Geographical Indication for Pinggu peaches, orchard owners and the Pinggu government formed the Pinggu County Production and Distribution Service Center of Agricultural Products (PDSCAP). This alliance resulted in the Pinggu peach being the first agricultural product to have its GI registered in China in 2002.

Transport The planned Pinggu line will connect the District to the Beijing Subway system.