Malaysia’s famous Musang King durians created a major buzz in China after 1.5 tonnes of fresh durians were sold out in just one hour at a supermarket in Haikou, Hainan.
The sale happened on Dec 18, the first day of the official “customs sealing” or fengguan of Hainan Free Trade Port, allowing goods from abroad to enter the island without import duties.
1st batch enters China after Hainan’s full customs clearance
The durians, freshly harvested in the morning in Malaysia, were flown directly from Kuala Lumpur to Haikou on Hainan Airlines flight HU756 the night before and landed just after midnight.
Hundreds queue up for Malaysian durian
The durians went on sale at Wanghao Supermarket in Longhua District, Haikou, at 12 pm.
According to News Hainan, hundreds of people queued for two hours, forming a line that stretched for tens of metres.
Many customers said the scene resembled the busy Spring Festival travel rush.
By 1 pm, all 1.5 tonnes — including premium varieties like Musang King, Black Thorn, Red Prawn, D101, D13, and more — were completely sold out.
Prices slashed by 50% thanks to zero-duty policy
Thanks to the zero-tariff benefits of the Hainan Free Trade Port, durian prices were about half of the usual retail price, with varieties priced between ¥78 to ¥98 per jin (around RM48–RM60 per 500g).
A supermarket staff member said the offer was for one day only, and warned that those arriving later in the day might not get any durians as stocks were nearly finished.
Malaysian influencer joins live event
At the store, popular Malaysian content creator “马来堂哥” (Malai Tang Ge), who is also a durian ambassador, was present to promote the fruit. He explained the different durian types and helped customers pick and pack their durians.
This shipment was part of the first batch of fresh goods entering China under Hainan’s “one-line opening” model, where overseas goods can enter the island with fewer checks and zero tariffs.
The full customs clearance process, from landing to shelves, took less than two hours, thanks to new procedures designed to boost fresh produce imports.
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