Shanghai Daily News

Melon expert Wu Mingzhu and her assistants are hard at work these days. Each day, they spend about eight to nine hours in their hami-melon sheds, spraying pesticides, applying fertilizer, adjusting the shed temperature and watering the seedlings. In the current weather conditions, it can be a fairly hot procedure.

Thanks to Wu's efforts, urban residents can experience the real taste of hami-melon - or cantaloupes as they are known in the West -  this autumn. Previously, the fruit only grew in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in China's far west. Through Wu's efforts, the fruit now prospers in Jiading District's agricultural park.

"Shanghainese love hami-melon but the high cost and long hours of transportation from Xinjiang affected both the melon's taste and quality," Gu Haifeng, Wu's assistant said. "So it is important for us to have our own hami-melon."

The melons Wu plants fall into four categories - Xuelihong, 9818, Fengweisuan and Xianguo. These varieties were carefully selected from 20 different hami-melon types and were tested numerous times to see if they could grow properly under Shanghai's weather conditions.

Locally, hami-melons are harvested twice yearly in June and October.

"Our hami-melons are special from others," Gu said. "For example, Xuelihong is named for its red melon and white skin while Fengweisuan features a sour-sweet flavor which many girls love."

Five years ago, Wu, a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, came to Jiading Agricultural Technology Improvement and Service Center to help researchers experiment and grow hami-melons.

In October last year, with the help of the local government, the 76-year-old Hubei native opened her workshop in the agricultural park.

"It is not easy to begin (planting) because the weather conditions in Xinjiang and Shanghai are totally different," Gu said. Hami-melons thrive in environments which are hot and dry, such as in Xinjiang or Inner Mongolia. In contrast, Shanghai is a wet climate that is cold in winter.

"At first I thought we wouldn't succeed here but Ms Wu is an expert in this field. She is like a teacher encouraging us all the time and giving us helpful advice."

Since last month when they sowed their first row of seeds, Wu and her assistants started work at 6am. They work until noon and then take a break. They resume at 3pm and go until dark.

Wu, known as the "Melon Queen," has been doing research and improvement on the fruit for more than 40 years. She has saved melons threatened by extinction, invented new varieties and helped to build a series of brands that enjoy a good reputation both at home and abroad.

She has three workshops around the country; one in Sanya, Hainan Province, in Turpan, Xinjiang, and the other in Jiading District. Despite her advancing years, she is still very energetic and frequently flies among her workshops, Gu said.

In addition, local farmers are seeing opportunity in her new melon-planting technology. Last year, with the help of the research center, five farmers studied the technology and made a fortune from their harvest.

Currently, 1,000 standard melon sheds with a total investment of 2 million yuan (US$250,000) have been set up. More farmers will be introduced to melon planting this autumn. Jiading is set to become the biggest hami-melon base in South China.