The fruit was originally known as the Chinese gooseberry, native to the Yangtze River region, where it grows as a strong, woody liana or climbing shrub in the forests there. The original name of the kiwi is Yang Tao. However, this 19th-century name is rarely used in modern Chinese for kiwi, more often for carambola (Averrhoa carambola).
The common name in China, Taiwan, and other Chinese-speaking regions today is Mi Hou Tao for native kiwifruit or Qi Yi Guo for imported.
