Yongfu county near Guilin in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region has more than 23 square kilometers of land planted with Arhat fruit trees and has been dubbed the "home of the Arhat fruit". [Photo provided to China Daily]

In the wet, green foothills that surround Guilin, one man has dedicated much of his life to cultivating a strange 'fruit', a natural sweetener that is wowing nutritionists worldwide. Fan Zhen goes into the hills of Yongfu county for the story.

As Fan Tianhuan offers his guests a round of light amber tea, he proudly explains that the infusion is made from the best quality Arhat fruit, or luohan guo, and as the guests take in the sweet scent of the tea, he tells them how he started growing it 37 years ago.

"My life has been interwoven with luohan guo since the first time I helped my father in the field in 1976," the 59-year-old suntanned farmer says. "Since it has so many health benefits, I believe it is my duty to introduce it to as many people as possible."

To that end, Fan has succeeded. He is now the largest producer of luohan guo in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region. Yongfu county near Guilin has more than 23 square kilometer of land planted with the vine, and Longjiang town where Fan is based is known as the "home of the Arhat fruit".

Fan says Longjiang produces 70 percent of the yearly output of 200 million fruits in the county.

The Arhat fruit, which is actually a gourd, is also known as monk's fruit and the name can be traced back through history.

As the story goes, during the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907), Guilin was one of the most important Buddhist retreats in China. The fruit, long treasured for its health benefits, was named after a group of Buddhist monks who, after a life of contemplation and meditation, finally achieved enlightenment. From then on, they have been known as luohan, or arhats.

The reason the luohan guo is now hailed by the health conscious is that the extract of the fruit is almost 300 times sweeter than sugar and holds very little calories. It is a natural sugar substitute.