URUMQI, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- "Golden Phoenix," "8601," "Black Eyebrows," "Mars No. 1" and more. You might be surprised to learn that these seemingly unrelated names have something sweet in common. They all belong to varieties of a beloved honey-dew fruit from northwest China.
This fruit is the Hami melon, named after the city of Hami in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
Xinjiang's abundant sunshine and significant day-night temperature variations create ideal conditions for growing fruits with naturally high sugar content. As highlighted in some travel guides -- the best of the region's Hami melons will leave a sticky syrup on your lips after eating.
In ancient times, these sweet, juicy melons with crisp, white-orange interior, were sent to the imperial court, nearly 3,000 km to the east, as a prized tribute. Since then, they have gained great fame. This melon species was first introduced to neighboring regions and then gradually spread to more distant parts of China, such as coastal Liaoning in the northeast, Shanghai in the east and even south China's Hainan island.
Due to the local climate, melons in Hami can only be harvested in summer months, which can often lead to lower prices. Southern regions, however, are warm enough to produce off-season melons that can sell for higher prices. Therefore, Hami has gradually faced challenges in maintaining its edge in the market. Notably, this melon city now accounts for only one-tenth of the country's total Hami melon production.
Today, the people of Hami hope their famous melon can become a drawcard of this mountain and desert region -- thereby helping to make melon products more abundant, higher in quality and stronger in market competitiveness.
Since 2023, the local government has collaborated with agricultural experts across the country to establish a germplasm research and development center. It features an artificial climate chamber, a specialized facility designed to grow and study melons under controlled environmental conditions, helping to shorten trial periods and providing data support.
"Testing a new cultivar used to take three to five years across Xinjiang, Yunnan and Hainan," said Mi Tiezhu, head of the center. "Now, we can simulate the environmental conditions of these three regions in a single season in the artificial climate chamber -- greatly accelerating the path to commercialization."
A scientist dedicated to salt-tolerant rice breeding research in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, Mi brought his team to Hami two years ago to boost melon growth. His team is also engaged in applying modern agriculture to pigment-rich chilies in northwest China.
In an experimental field in Hami, scientists carefully manage water and fertilizer using a smart agriculture system -- which can increase the sugar content of the melons, making these fruits more appealing to consumers. Over 30 such experimental fields have been established across the country.
"In the past, growing melons relied on experience, but now is based on precise data," said local melon grower Maliya Ahemolla, who can monitor real-time information detailing temperature, light, moisture, fertilizer and air quality of her field via her mobile phone. With just a tap on the screen -- the integrated irrigation system automatically delivers water and nutrients in the optimal ratio.
This scientific approach has made farming not only smarter but also more rewarding. Maliya said the improved quality of melons has increased her income.
"We use the science-based modern agricultural system to address the challenges of the traditional 'pray-to-the-sky' farming model for good harvests," said Zhang Guodong, a staff member at the center in Hami who leads the melon production section.
Zhang also has another role -- serving as a "melon grader." He said he had not tasted a Hami melon until his time at university. Since arriving in Xinjiang two years ago, Zhang has become a melon guru showing the ability to effectively select melons. He can reel off the names, flavors and features of a variety of melons, including some obscure ones not widely known.
In July, nearly 60 melon graders like Zhang began working in the farmlands of Hami after completing their training. With a keen eye, gentle taps and a careful sniff, they can identify the variety, ripeness and quality of each melon in seconds -- before it is cut open.
Rigorously data-driven scientists have also developed melon sorting standards. They "score" each melon based on ripeness, sweetness and flavor, and use an optical recognition machine to sort them, ensuring that high-quality fruits get fair prices.
Scientific precision has replaced the uncertainty of blind luck -- thus helping to deliver a melon harvest featuring high efficiency and professionalism.
Ding Wengang, a senior melon picker in Hami, said the absence of clear standards in the past, had often resulted in the mixing of melons of different quality within the same batch, making it difficult for farmers to receive fair prices and leading to retailers having doubts about the standard of the melons they were purchasing. Today, with the support of technology and expert knowledge, melon selection has become more accurate and efficient -- benefiting both growers and buyers.
This change also resonates with Chinese customers, particularly members of China's growing middle class, who are less price-sensitive and willing to pay a premium for top-tier quality.
"We hope consumers not only enjoy fresh melons but also get to savor a wider variety of high-quality melon products," Mi said, adding that researchers have already developed melon-infused jam, beer and cosmetics.
Additionally, fridge magnets, toys and T-shirts featuring melon images have become popular souvenirs among tourists visiting the city of Hami.
Once a vibrant hub along the ancient Silk Road, Hami sought economic development through coal energy as its pillar industry. Now, science-driven modern agriculture has remade Hami melons, boosting the sense of city pride.
Mi and his team frequently host streams of visitors, media groups and nationwide counterparts, who come to observe and learn from their practices. The scientists have also adopted a migratory work pattern over the two years, traveling seasonally between different growing regions from northwest deserts to southeast coasts.
So do migrant melon farmers.
Li Chuan, 38, is from Hainan and is one of more than 100 melon farmers who have traveled from elsewhere in China to work in Hami. He has a southern accent and always wears flip-flops when taking care of melons in this dry desert region.
He said despite a significant farming workload, he and his fellow farmers are willing to travel back and forth between Xinjiang and their hometowns each year for the melon season -- as their hard work has secured not only melon harvests but also wealth for their families.
SOURCE/AUTHOR : XIN HUA NEWS - writers Yuan Quan and Jia Zhao
No third party should interfere in territory, maritime disputes: Chinese FM spokesperson
S&P Global Ratings' affirmation of China outlook reflects recognition of country's economic resilience
China aims to achieve breakthroughs in brain-computer interface technology by 2027
Rescue underway after mountain torrents leave 10 dead, 33 missing in NW China's Gansu
With independent customs operation, Hainan Free Trade Port poised to pioneer China's high-standard opening up
Xi urges all-out rescue efforts after Gansu mountain torrents cause heavy casualties
China activates Level-IV emergency response for flood control in 5 provincial-level regions
Across China: North China night market offers a cyberpunk feast for the eyes and the stomach
Think tank report highlights China's ecological governance innovation, global impact
Chinese scientists develop smart surveillance system to control mosquito-borne diseases
Letter from China: Robots take center stage at Beijing expo, pointing to tech revolution
China Focus: Paired assistance program improves access to quality health care for Xizang residents
Column: China-proposed global AI cooperation organization expected to narrow global tech gap
Factbox: China witnesses remarkable progress in data sector in 14th Five-Year Plan period
China urges Japan to be prudent on historical issues such as Yasukuni Shrine: spokesperson
Books of Xi's discourses on adhering to deepening reform comprehensively published
Chengdu World Games closes, highlighting inclusiveness, sustainability, innovation
Xinhua Headlines: Host city of 2025 World Games unfolds new vitality in opening wider to globe
Uzbek edition of "Xi Jinping: On Respecting and Protecting Human Rights" launched in Uzbekistan
China Focus: China's expanding national park system delivers breakthroughs in wildlife conservation
Xinhua Headlines: China's factories trade smoke for sustainability through green innovation
Xi urges concerted efforts for modernization when meeting representatives from across Xizang
Tourist train with elderly-friendly modifications departs from Harbin for grassland trip
Xinhua Headlines: Setting sail again from China, SCO charts course for shared future
Xinhua Headlines: Expo facilitates smart, green cooperation between China, Arab states
Update: China int'l trade representative holds talks with U.S. officials, business representatives
(V-Day) Xi Focus: Xi hails "unstoppable" national rejuvenation at V-Day commemorations
Xi Focus: Xi addresses V-Day reception, stressing justice, peace, people's strength
Commemorative stamps issued to mark 80th anniversary of victory against Japanese aggression, fascism
Xinhua Headlines: Xi makes three proposals at virtual BRICS Summit to cement solidarity, advance cooperation
Solar panels light the way to rural revitalization in China's Qinghai-Tibet Plateau
Over 2,000 exhibitors join expo highlighting vitality of China's culture, tourism industries
Sand control projects launched to improve ecological environment of Kubuqi Desert in Inner Mongolia
China Focus: 2,200-yr-old engraved stone discovery illuminates Chinese civilization on
Xinhua Commentary: Free trade, AI make China-ASEAN economic cooperation closer, more fruitful
Major Xinjiang port handles over 7,000 China-Europe freight train trips this year
SichuanMosaics | First mountain and lake circling festival of Lugu Lake kicks off in SW China's Sichuan
China's V-Day commemorations enhance confidence in advancing national rejuvenation: Xi
China's Hani terraces illustrate the Chinese philosophy of living in harmony with nature
Xinhua Headlines: Chinese commemorate outbreak of war against Japanese aggression with hopes for peace
Explainer: Why the September 18th Incident was a key event in the World Anti-Fascist War
Economic Watch: U.S. high-tech firms upbeat about manufacuture investment in China
Xinhua Headlines: Jingdezhen: China's ancient porcelain capital turns young and chic
Xi leads central delegation to Urumqi for 70th anniversary of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region
South China's Guangdong raises emergency response to highest for approaching typhoon
Xi's Album | Xi leaves for Beijing after attending celebrations for Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region's 70th founding anniversary
Xi attends grand gathering in celebration of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region's 70th founding anniversary
13th China (Mianyang) Science and Technology City Int'l High-Tech Expo opens in China's Sichuan
Xinhua Headlines: World's highest bridge opens to traffic in China's mountainous southwest
China Focus: Million-year-old skull from central China rewrites human evolution timeline
Update: China expected to handle 2.36 billion passenger trips in upcoming holiday
Update: China's water conservancy investment to exceed 5.4 trln yuan during 2021-2025 period
China Focus: Honoring WWII victory, China gains strength for national rejuvenation
GLOBALink | African attendees to internet forum seek deeper cooperation with China
China Focus: Innovative cultural tourism heats up China's eight-day holiday market
China's transportation network sees travel peak on 1st day of National Day holiday
China achieves milestone in compact fusion project with key component installation
Xinhua Headlines: From logging to guardianship: How China protects green source of its
China's 2025 box office surpasses 2024's full-year gross, with local films dominating
GLOBALink | Global insiders discuss circus arts and performance in China's circus festival
Xinhua Headlines: How small county in north China becomes magnet for global acrobats
Enhe Village in China's Inner Mongolia draws tourists with blend of Chinese-Russian culture
Tourist destinations across China see surge in visitors during National Day holiday
Economy&life | Eight-day holiday in China sees unprecedented people flows, consumption nationwide
Xinhua Headlines: Gaza conflict -- Two years of devastation and dim prospects ahead
60"FlyOverChina | Nature's red carpet unrolled: Biodiversity haven in Shandong's coastal wetlands
Xinhua Headlines: Surge in Chinese holiday travelers boosts European tourism, cultural exchanges
China logs 2.4 billion cross-regional passenger trips during holiday travel surge
Column: From Beijing to Beijing: 30 years on, the song of women's empowerment rings clearer and louder
Participants attend opening ceremony of Global Leaders' Meeting on Women in Beijing
China Focus: 2,300-year-old Chinese silk manuscripts finally return home after decades abroad
Xinhua Commentary: More joint action needed to promote women's development worldwide
Across China: Beyond the steel span -- world's highest bridge uplifting China's mountainous southwest
Economic Watch: China's core inflation hits 19-month high, signaling firmer domestic demand
Explainer: How China fosters growth, innovation amidst global uncertainties through past Five-Year Plan
Xinhua Headlines: China's economy shows stable growth trend with positive factors accumulating
Xinhua Headlines: CPC plenum concludes, adopting recommendations for China's 15th Five-Year Plan
Chinese scientists make breakthroughs in longer-lasting, safer solid-state batteries
Chinese, African experts join force to advance collaboration on food security, agricultural modernization
Xinhua Headlines: Charting a new chapter for Asia-Pacific development through unity, responsibility
Economic Watch: FAW-Volkswagen marks 30 millionth car as China's auto confidence grows
Xi says China ready to work with Japan to build constructive, stable bilateral relations
Xi says China ready to strengthen synergy of development strategies with Thailand, share development experience in new era
Three Gorges project generates over 423 bln kWh of electricity in past five years
GLOBALink | Scholars explore global perspective on China's war of resistance against Japanese aggression
Chinese scientists conduct detailed analysis of key water source in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau
Comments (0)
No comments yet. Be the first to comment!
Leave a Comment