Brown discoloration of the core, carpels and flesh of ‘Ya Li’ and ‘Seuri’ Chinese pears during storage depends on harvest date, not storage temperature. In this trial, fruit harvested no later than 180 days after full bloom showed no signs of browning. Browning occurred only in fruit that had been harvested when skin color had already changed from green to light green-yellow. Thus, skin color can be used to determine harvest date to avoid internal browning.