When the Central Cross-Island Highway opened in 1960, the Central Mountain Range proved ideal for cold-loving temperate pear varieties. The government successfully guided military veterans to grow high mountain pears in settlements along the route—Lishan itself takes its name from this abundant pear production.

Early Hengshan Pears, with their coarse flesh and sharp acidity, found few fans; high mountain pears faced production limits due to challenging terrain. In 1975, a farmer in Dongshi District, Taichung City pioneered a high grafting technique, attaching temperate pear buds onto cold-tolerant Hengshan rootstock—making it possible to grow temperate varieties at lower elevations.

High Grafting Unlocks a Pear Renaissance

This technique sparked a flowering of pear varieties across Taiwan. Shinko, Shinseiki, Kosui, Hosui—all emerged from high grafting cultivation.

Today, Taiwan boasts over a dozen pear varieties, from the petite dumpling-sized ones to the Golden Pear, dubbed "natural mineral water," to the snow pear, "king of pears." Each offers its own distinct texture, from pillowy-soft to crisp and refreshing, subtly sweet to intensely so. Among them stands the Formosa Nectar Pear, developed over 20 years by farmer Liu Shen-chuan in Zhuolan, Miaoli County. Averaging 1.8 kilograms each—larger than a face—these pears deliver refined texture, honeyed juice, and a fresh sugarcane fragrance. Priced over NT$1,000 each, they've earned the moniker "the Louis Vuitton of pears."

Beyond eating them fresh, Asian pears lend themselves to countless culinary transformations. They appear in savory dishes, often paired with Hakka cuisine: aged preserved radish and chicken soup with fresh pear, salt-cured pork with fresh pear, braised pork belly with pear, pear shrimp balls, and more. Rich in sorbitol and other nutrients, pears have long been documented in Chinese medical texts for their lung-moistening properties. Simmered into pear syrup and taken with fritillary bulb and honey, they're particularly effective for respiratory wellness.