Local melon from NW China's Xinjiang gains nationwide popularity

A photo displays some "Old Man Melons" at food stands in the old town of Kashgar city, located in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Chinanews.com/Sun Tingwen)

A melon once enjoyed exclusively in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region has recently begun gaining popularity on China's social media platforms.

Nicknamed the "Old Man Melon," this fruit is primarily cultivated in southern Xinjiang and resembles a pumpkin. With soft, sweet, and juicy flesh and high sugar content, the melon is suitable even for older people and those without teeth to enjoy, hence the nickname "Old Man Melon."

As a star product, the melon is a common sight at almost every stand on the food streets of Kashgar city's old town, a well-known scenic spot. "It tastes the same as it did many years ago. The melon is hard to find in Shandong," remarked a 76-year-old individual from east China's Shandong, who once lived in Xinjiang, after sampling a slice.

A photo reveals piles of "Old Man Melons" at a market specializing in farm produce in Kashgar city, situated in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Chinanews.com/Sun Tingwen)

Previously, this perishable fruit was only enjoyed locally. However, thanks to increased air routes to Xinjiang, more tourists are now taking the melon home. At Kashgar Airport, many departing travelers were observed carrying one or two of these melons.

Beyond personal transportation, some local companies have developed new products such as juice and wine from the melon. "The melon doesn't keep for long. In the off-season, the drinks satisfy people's cravings," an employee of a local company explained.

A township in Kashgar has planted over 2,600 mu (173.33 hectares) of melon this year. One melon grower said he planted 4.5 mu of the melon this year, expecting a yield of 3.5 tonnes. "The technicians from the township provided guidance on melon planting, so this year's melons are bigger in size and higher in yield than last year. I expect to earn 5,000 yuan ($695) per mu," he said.

A photo shows some "Old Man Melons" on a food street in the old town of Kashgar city, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Chinanews.com/Sun Tingwen)

"To assist growers of this melon in increasing their income, we helped them with seedlings, transplantation, fertilizer, and sales," said Luo Ren, a vegetable and melon technician from Kashgar's Agriculture and Rural Affairs Bureau.

Luo added that the yield of the "Old Man Melons" has reached 700 to 1,000 kilograms per mu, resulting in an income of 5,000 to 6,000 yuan, encouraging great enthusiasm among growers for planting the melon.