The Daxing Watermelon Festival kicked off on May 27 in Panggezhuang town in Beijing's Daxing district, accepting over 1,100 melon candidates. The king of watermelons in terms of weight in this year's National Watermelon Arena Contest came in at 94.76 kilograms. 

The king of watermelons in terms of weight in this year's National Watermelon Arena Contest was 94.76 kilograms. [Photo provided by Daxing district]

The event allowed visitors to taste, buy and pickle watermelons produced on the vast plantations of Daxing. It was broadcast live on the internet.

Launched in 1988, the festival has become a platform to show off local agricultural science and technology and promote the melon industry.

Panggezhuang continues to optimize the structure of the agricultural industry. By taking the watermelon industry as the core, the town integrated cultural and creativity, tourism, e-commerce, ecology and other elements to broaden the channels for farmers to increase their income.