'Hermès of durian': The luxury fruit cashing in on China's billion-dollar appetite

Today it's better known as the land of the Musang King — a buttery, bittersweet variety that the Chinese have dubbed the "Hermès of durians", as prized as the French fashion house. Fans from the region have christened it the "King of fruits", but on the internet it has earned a less flattering tag — the world's smelliest fruit — as tourists unused to its odour seek it out with squeamish curiosity. Yet it has found a growing fanbase in China: as an exotic gift exchanged among the affluent; a status symbol to be unboxed on social media; and the star of culinary heresies from durian chicken hotpot to durian pizza.