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An aerial view of the warehouses in Jiaxing Port, Jiaxing, East China's Zhejiang province. [Photo/Tide News]

A vessel carrying Vietnamese bananas docked smoothly at Jiaxing Port's Zhapu terminal on April 11, marking progress in Jiaxing's cold chain logistics.

The bananas are the first batch of cold chain imports handled at the city's newly designated comprehensive inspection site — the first of its kind under Hangzhou Customs and a milestone for the port.

The sprawling 84,000-square-meter facility, with 120,000 square meters of total building area, operates like a super-sized freezer, preserving everything from tropical fruit to frozen seafood in precise temperatures.

Until April 11, Jiaxing relied on larger ports like Shanghai and Ningbo for fruit and seafood imports. Some goods even arrived via truck from as far as Guangdong and Fujian provinces, adding time and cost.

"This cuts out the middle parts," said Zhang Hai, an official of Jiaxing Customs. "Fruit, meat, and even live king crabs can now arrive directly by sea, get cleared quickly under customs supervision, and reach dinner tables at their best."