Ningxia Watermelons

Ningxia Watermelons

　　Ningxia Watermelons: The history of watermelon cultivation in Ningxia spans over 1,000 years.

Legend has it that during the Qing Dynasty's Kangxi Emperor’s reign, Ningxia watermelons were already renowned across the country. In 1696, during the Emperor’s second visit to Ningxia, there was a popular tale about a melon vendor named Huang Mazi and an incident known as "choosing an official in a dark room." Disguised as a commoner, Emperor Kangxi traveled to what is now Zhongwei County in Ningxia, where he encountered a man named Huang Mazi selling watermelons. Pretending to have no money, Kangxi asked Huang for a melon. After some insistence, Huang Mazi reluctantly tossed him a "flattened" one. Kangxi declined at first, but Huang insisted: “Don’t worry, not only would you, my good sir, praise this as a fine melon — even the Emperor himself would call it excellent.” Upon taking a bite, Kangxi found the melon incredibly sweet, almost like honey, and crisp like a pear. He thought to himself, if even this "flattened" melon is this delicious, how much better must the good ones be? Upon returning to the capital, Kangxi spoke highly of the exceptional sweetness of Ningxia watermelons, praising them as the “king of fruits,” and even issued an imperial order summoning Huang Mazi to the palace for the so-called "choosing an official in a dark room." From then on, the fame of both Ningxia watermelons and Huang Mazi spread far and wide. Though this is a folk tale, the long-standing reputation of Ningxia watermelons is indeed a well-established fact.

Ningxia enjoys hot summers, little rainfall, large diurnal temperature variations, and long hours of sunshine, all of which enhance the levels of glucose, vitamins, and amino acids in the watermelons, giving Ningxia watermelons their uniquely excellent qualities.

Watermelons are grown all over Ningxia, with the highest concentrations in the suburbs of Yinchuan, Shizuishan, Wuzhong, Qingtongxia, and Lingwu, as well as in counties such as Zhongwei, Zhongning, Yongning, and Taole. In recent years, newly introduced varieties have performed well, among which the “Xinhongbao” watermelon is especially famous for its sweet taste, small and few seeds, strong adaptability, and good storage and transport qualities.