This photo taken on Sept. 19, 2025 shows a smart platform to grow and study Hami melons under controlled environmental conditions in the city of Hami, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Photo by Du Dele/Xinhua)

By Xinhua writers Yuan Quan and Jia Zhao

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. ■