By Huan Xiang, Han Liqun, Qu Pei, People’s Daily

Hami, in the eastern part of northwest China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous region, has long been a key hub on the ancient Silk Road and is known as the “gateway to the Western Regions.”

When Zhang Qian made his first diplomatic mission to the West in the Western Han Dynasty (202 BC-25 AD), Hami was an important stop.

The Silk Road he pioneered not only fostered cultural exchanges across regions but also left behind a shared taste memory that has endured for millennia, turning “Hami” into a synonym for sweet melons.

Today, Hami’s annual Melon Festival celebrates this heritage as a vibrant feast of sweetness. Interestingly, Khiva in Uzbekistan – another ancient Silk Road cultural crossroads – hosts a parallel melon festival. Together, these two transboundary events resonate as a symbolic “sweet bond” connecting communities and industries.

This summer, in the melon fields of Huayuan township of Hami, workers of the Jiaxiang Fruit Planting Cooperative rushed to harvest, sort, and pack crates of fresh melons ready for shipment.

“This year we’ve already exported 1,880 tons of Hami melons, with peak daily exports exceeding 80 tons,” said Liu Ruixiang, head of the cooperative.

Hami’s temperate continental climate, featuring abundant sunshine and large day-night temperature differences, gives the melons their exceptional sweetness. Strong photosynthesis during the day allows the fruit to accumulate nutrients, while the cool nights slow sugar consumption.

The story of Hami melons is inseparable from the ancient Silk Road. Along this ancient route, grapes, pomegranates, and alfalfa from the West traveled eastward, while Hami melon cultivation techniques spread to Dunhuang in northwest China’s Gansu province before reaching central China.

Today, Hami melons have become a pillar industry driving local economic growth and improving livelihoods. International exchanges have also spurred advances in breeding.

“We’ve been working with countries such as Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan to share melon germplasm resources, advancing genetic improvement and variety development,” said Zhang Yongbing, a researcher at the Hami Melon Research Center of the Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences. Central Asian countries are also testing thick-skinned varieties developed in China, he added.

At the 19th Hami melon festival held recently, 270 varieties spanning ancient and modern times were showcased, drawing crowds of visitors, with popular varieties quickly selling out.

Over the past three decades, Hami has transformed its melon from a single agricultural product into a cultural and economic symbol with global appeal. Since it was launched in 1993, the Hami melon festival has grown into the city’s most festive “sweet celebration.”

Cultural exchanges are adding even more vibrancy to Hami. In July this year, the 7th China Xinjiang International Ethnic Dance Festival set up a sub-venue in Hami, where the State Honored Song and Dance Ensemble of the Republic of Tajikistan “Lola” performed in resplendent traditional dress.

“The warm response from the audience in Hami made us truly feel that art knows no borders,” said the head of the troupe.

The integration of culture and tourism continues to generate fruitful results. In the first half of this year, Hami welcomed 9.85 million visitors, up 16.46 percent year on year, with tourism revenue reaching 6.379 billion yuan, a 23.22 percent increase.

“The fruits here are just as sweet as those from my hometown,” said Asadbek Bobojonov, deputy editor-in-chief of Silk Road News Network in Uzbekistan, who joined journalists from 10 countries, including Kyrgyzstan and Pakistan, on a field trip in June this year. In a 100-mu (about 667 hectares) melon farm in Huayuan township, he inquired closely about planting techniques and sales channels.

In Central Asia, melons are more than a fruit – they embody harvest abundance, traditions of hospitality, and national pride. Uzbekistan has been renowned for its melons since ancient times, and every August, the melon festival in Khiva draws crowds of visitors.

“Both Hami and Uzbekistan share deep historical ties through millennia-old Silk Road trade routes,” noted Bobojonov. The Hami melon Festival and the melon festival in Uzbekistan can serve as important platforms for cooperation and exchange, he added.

“Hami’s melon festival and those of Central Asian countries all celebrate the sweetness of the harvest and the joy of sharing,” said Wang Lin of the publicity department of Hami’s Yizhou district. Wang called it a vivid example of the cultural affinity between China and its neighbors.

Historically, trade and cultural interaction allowed similar crops and customs to take root across the region. Today, under the Belt and Road Initiative, these shared celebrations have become a ‘sweet bond’ connecting the hearts of people in China and Central Asia.

A man introduces the planting techniques of the Hami melon in a melon field in Yizhou district, Hami. (Photo/Asadbek Bobojonov)