Visitors attend a promotional event titled "Hami invites you to taste Hami melons" at Beijing's 798 Art District on Saturday. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
Cantaloupe, famously known as Hami melon in China, takes its name from the city of Hami in the eastern Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, a city renowned for cultivating diverse, sweet, and flavorful cantaloupe varieties.
The city government recently held a promotional event in Beijing's 798 Art District, "Hami invites you to taste Hami melons," as a prelude to the 19th Hami Melon Festival. The event, centered on the theme "There's a sweetness called Hami," offered food tastings, a Hami melon art exhibition, and a starry-themed sharing session across three interactive zones.
Visitors attend a promotional event titled "Hami invites you to taste Hami melons" at Beijing's 798 Art District on Saturday. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
The annual Hami Melon Festival is scheduled to officially open on July 11 at the Hami City Sports Center and will run until the end of August. This year's festival is organized around the theme of "sweetness," featuring five main sections: the joy of melons, the taste of melons, the art of melons, the love of melons, and the gift of melons. A total of 40 activities are planned.
Visitors attend a promotional event titled "Hami invites you to taste Hami melons" at Beijing's 798 Art District on Saturday. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
The festival will extend beyond a single location, encompassing the entire city of Hami to showcase Hami melon culture, diverse ethnic customs, and natural scenery. Events will take place across Yizhou district, Barkol Kazakh autonomous county, and Yiwu county. While the main event will be at the Hami City Sports Center, various sub-venues will be established at scenic and cultural sites throughout Hami.
