Xiawan Watermelons

Xiawan Watermelons

　　    Xiawan is a village in Guzhen Town, Changyi, with around five to six hundred households. In front of the village lies the Guzhen Station on the Jiaoji Railway, providing convenient transportation. About two li to the west is the Wei River, with sandy soil along its banks. Taking Xiawan as the boundary, the land to the east of the village is fertile black soil, while to the west lies a stretch of yellow sandy soil along the river.

　　    Due to differences in soil composition, the yellow sandy soil is suitable for growing melons, peanuts, sweet potatoes, and similar crops, but not ideal for cereal grains. As a result, most people living along the river plant fruit trees or peanuts. However, the villagers of Xiawan specialize primarily in melon cultivation, with other crops as secondary.

　　    The vining melons are planted in spring and harvested at different months, offering a variety of flavors. The earliest to ripen is the shaogua (melon), fresh and crisp to the taste. This is followed by the xianggua (fragrant melon), which has yellow skin, does not grow very large naturally—about the size of a fist—and emits a fragrance that fills the room when placed indoors, lasting for about a week without fading. Then come the miangua (starchy melon), tiangua (sweet melon), and watermelons, which come onto the market in succession. Among these, watermelons are the most abundant. They are renowned for their rich, sweet, and crisp flavor, unmatched by those from other regions, hence gaining widespread fame.