Tales Along the Yellow River: River waters melons in arid Ningxia

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We continue now with our special series of Tales Along the Yellow River. In today's report we go to the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region in the northwest of China. As our CGTN's Cui Hui'ao found out, Yellow River's water has bred a special type of melons, while enriching thousands of local villagers.

Yang Baojun has grown watermelons for 22 years. Like most farmers in his village, Yang used to grow rice and wheat. But his life changed in 1997 when the local government loaned villagers a thousand RMB a year to grow melons. But only a special breed of melon called Xisha.

YANG BAOJUN WATERMELON FARMER "We pack about 15 centimeters thick of gravel above the soil. The gravel is rich in selenium. It filters water, and keeps temperatures high for the melons to grow."

But gravel is not enough. Water is essential and Xiangshan county is dry. It's close to the desert and far from the sea. Less than 800 millimeters of rain falls each year and the annual evaporation rate is more 20,000 millimeters. That's where the Yellow River comes in.

YANG BAOJUN WATERMELON FARMER "The water problem was finally solved in 2005, after a reservoir was built to draw water from the Yellow River. Its water breeds good melons because it is rich in nitrogen. But its supply is limited. Today we mix it with underground water for irrigation."

CUI HUI'AO XINSHUI VILLAGE, NINGXIA HUI AUTONOMOUS REGION "Vast melon fields like this can be seen everywhere in Xinshui village. Today melons from here are sold across China and around the world. The entire region was revitalized by the melon economy."

Rising demand has brought good fortune. Now Yang's 200 acres of land is covered with tens of thousands of melons. Selling them earns him around 200 thousand RMB a year, plenty to live on in this village. He's built a new brick house, and he can send both of his kids to college.

YANG BAOJUN WATERMELON FARMER "I will probably farm for the rest of my life. But I want my kids to study and work in the city. They don't have to do farming. This is what we villagers care about the most: education and housing."

Yang told me years of planting have made him put quality above quantity. With all the favorable conditions now, all he has to worry about is good weather for the coming season -- as little rain as possible, so that his melons can grow bigger and sweeter. Cui Hui'ao, CGTN, Ningxia Hui, Autonomous Region.