"All the Jinhuang mangos on the market today are the result of my research and improvement, and they are from Liouguei!" Huang Jin-huang, now in his 80s, says proudly. The mother tree which caused the "Jinhuang whirlwind" in Taiwan still stands in Kaohsiung City's Liouguei District, bearing witness to Huang's devotion to agricultural improvement.

Huang Jin-huang was born and raised in a farming family. He initially planted a foreign variety of mango, but the crops did not meet his expectations. He then began doing research by himself to develop a new variety. The cultivation of a new and improved variety is a long journey, he says. Huang devoted 12 years to the creation of the Jinhuang mango, initially studying the advantages and disadvantages of foreign mango varieties, through graft hybridization, to the later stages of observing the growth and stability of the trees, as well as their resistance to disease. He also judged the appearance and taste of the fruit. Finally, the Jinhuang mango –hailed as the king of mangos and averaging 1.2 kg –was launched onto the market in 1978.

The Jinhuang mango has a golden Peel on the outside, thick pulp and a thin pit. The texture of the pulp is firm and the taste is sweet and aromatic. These characteristics enabled the mango to target the market from the top of the pyramid. They were sold at what was then called President Department Store as well as at upmarket fruit specialists. At the time, the average monthly wage was about 3,000 NT dollars, yet because of their popularity, Jinhuang mangos could command a price of 100 NT dollars per catty (0.6 kilogram). Its tremendous economic value, together with the low planting threshold which meant it could be planted with simple and inexpensive grafting, prompted a lot of farmers to follow in Huang's footsteps and cultivate Jinhuang mangos. The Jinhuang mango has also written a splendid page in the history of Taiwanese agriculture.

Looking back on his journey, he smiles and says, "I am just very happy seeing people enjoy their Jinhuang mangos." Although Huang has not engaged in farming activities for a long time, agriculture still has a big place in his heart. He hopes the government can assist farmers to venture out into foreign markets and stabilize prices to ensure they make a decent living.

金煌芒果之父黃金煌

【文／林旻伶；攝影／鮑忠暉】

「現今市面上的金煌芒果是我研發改良的，它們全源自六龜！」現年八旬的黃金煌語帶驕傲地如是說，而當年掀起全台「金煌風潮」的原生母樹仍靜靜地佇立六龜一隅，見證著他在農業改良上的心血點滴。

出身農家的黃金煌，最初種植的是外來的芒果品種，但因作物收成不如預期，引發了他自行研究改良新品種的念頭。他說，培育新品種是一條漫長的路，從研究洋芒果的優缺點、接枝雜交，到依據後代果樹的生長情形、抗病性、穩定度及果實外觀口感等逐一篩選，歷經長達12年的研究投注，被喻為芒果之王、平均果重約1.2公斤的「金煌芒果」終於在民國67年正式上市。

金煌芒果外觀金黃碩大、肉厚籽小、口感香Ｑ、甜度極高，甫推出即鎖定頂級客層，於當時的大統百貨及高級水果行販售，在平均月薪三千多元的年代，一斤價格高達百元，足見其受歡迎程度。由於金煌芒果的高經濟價值 ，加上種植門檻低、嫁接即可生長，成本相對低廉，吸引許多農民跟進種植，金煌芒果為台灣農業發展史寫下輝煌的一頁。

回首過往，早已退休的黃金煌笑著說：「只要看見大家吃金煌芒果就覺得很開心！」言談間他也表達對台灣農業的關心，他希冀政府能夠協助開拓外銷市場並穩定價格。