Dali Fruits and Melons

Dali Fruits and Melons

　　Dali County is located on the Guanzhong Plain, with well-developed transportation and abundant local produce. National Highway 108 is wide and smooth. The county is widely known for its peanuts, daylily (also called “true gold vegetable”), juicy jujube, and Tongzhou watermelon. Xiazhai Township, situated at Dali’s western gateway, developed thousands of acres of greenhouse watermelons in 1999, which are now gradually hitting the market.

　　Dali was historically known as Tongzhou Prefecture and has long been a land of grain and cotton. Its unique sandy soil has given rise to local specialties such as Tongzhou watermelon, peanuts, daylily, and jujube. Tongzhou watermelon is thin-skinned, sandy-fleshed, and sweet; the peanuts are milky-white in color with plump kernels; the daylily is golden-yellow; and the juicy jujube is large, stout-shaped, small-seeded, and crisp-sweet. Over the years, these have attracted merchants from all over the country to purchase and place orders. The green jujube is also processed into candied jujube that can be stretched into long, unbroken golden threads, with a transparent amber-like appearance and a deliciously sweet taste—hence it is also known as golden-thread candied jujube.

　　Dali is situated on the fertile Weihe Plain, with roads extending in all directions across the 800-li Qinchuan region. In particular, National Highway 108 connects several provinces. Nowadays, the county ranks second only to Jiangyin City nationwide in the number of long-distance freight trucks owned by a county (or city), making it a true transportation hub. Transporting goods—sending out local products and bringing back information from other regions—has promoted economic exchange between Dali and other areas. Dear customers, if you find driving too troublesome, you may also rent a vehicle locally for transport, which is both convenient and fast.

　　Dali County is also one of the cradles of ancient Chinese culture. The Yellow River and the Weihe River have shaped the kind-hearted, simple, and open-minded character of the people of Dali. Generation after generation, they have treated others with generosity. “Isn’t it a joy to have friends come from afar?” has been their life philosophy. Reform and opening-up have liberated their thinking: to do thriving business, one must make friends far and wide. Having bid farewell to the age of sickles and spears, they have entered the technological era. In the 1990s, scientific farming and technology-driven agriculture became popular in Dali. Farmers sought expert advice for growing melons, consulted technicians for crop cultivation, and even used plastic mulch for wheat fields. The application of science and technology has yielded abundant results, but good products aren’t enough if only locals know about them—they need to be promoted so that you know about them, they know about them. I believe good products will naturally be well received.

　　This year, the Dali County government has encouraged farmers to grow greenhouse watermelons, introducing many new varieties and developing tens of thousands of acres of watermelon fields, with just Xiazhai Township alone having thousands of acres. I hope friends from all regions will come here to discuss business. I will wholeheartedly serve you, help you find satisfactory produce, and assist melon farmers in finding good sales channels.