CHINA

Weekend Long Read: A Soaked Market for Central China’s Watermelon Farmers

Published: Aug. 8, 2026 10:00 a.m. GMT+8

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At 5 a.m. on July 30, watermelon growers arrive at a wholesale market in Zhangshi township in Kaifeng, Central China’s Henan province, hoping to sell their freshly picked melons as quickly as possible. Photo: Zheng Haipeng/Caixin

At the watermelon trading market in Zhangshi town, Kaifeng, Henan province, every melon farmer is an expert at waiting.

Long before the sun rises, the roadsides fill with the hum of tricycles and the anxious murmurs of farmers. Many arrive as early as 4 a.m., securing a spot to sell their freshly picked harvest. What follows is a grueling test of endurance — waiting for buyers who may never arrive, while those that do barter for deals that yield painfully little return.

Just after 4 a.m. on July 30, as the sky gradually lightens, watermelon farmers in Zhangshi gather by the roadside, waiting for buyers. Photo: Zheng Haipeng/Caixin

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Explore the story in 30 seconds

Climate anomalies and oversupply caused Henan watermelon prices to plummet to 0.1 yuan/jin, far below costs.
Farmers waited hours; one sold 920 jin for 184 yuan after 12 hours, barely covering costs.
Celebrity Kenji Wu bought 250+ tons at a premium, but charitable efforts were insufficient for the massive surplus.

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Explore the story in 3 minutes

1. Farmers in Zhangshi town, Henan, endure a grueling cycle of waiting. [para. 1] They arrive as early as 4 a.m., anxiously filling the roadsides, and face a test of endurance for buyers who offer painfully low returns or never arrive. [para. 2] Climate anomalies and a severe supply-demand imbalance this year have caused sales to stagnate and prices to crash. [para. 3] Because watermelons spoil quickly, farmers are forced to sell at rock-bottom prices. [para. 4] Xia Lou waited nearly 12 hours to sell his 920 jin (460 kg) load for only 184 yuan ($27), barely covering his 600 yuan per mu initial costs without accounting for labor. [para. 5][para. 6] Wang Genwang, a former construction worker who contracted 50 mu, faces certain financial loss, refusing an offer of 0.1 yuan per jin but admitting he would sell at 0.12 yuan. [para. 7][para. 8]

2. Supply vastly exceeds demand, giving small vendors all the bargaining power. [para. 9][para. 10] Seventy-year-old Cao Binglai was indignantly offered just 50 yuan for his entire 1,200 jin load of "Tornado" watermelons. [para. 11] Song Fulai accepted 0.07 yuan per jin, earning only 124 yuan, lamenting that a 20-jin watermelon was worth just over one yuan. [para. 12] The physical toll falls heavily on the elderly. Zhao Aique, 58, waited 14 hours to sell her 1,000-jin cart for 80 yuan, harvesting alone through muddy fields because her husband is ill, explaining that rotting in the field would yield nothing. [para. 13][para. 14]

3. A brief breakthrough arrived when celebrity Kenji Wu purchased over 250 tons of watermelons for free distribution at a premium price of 0.2 to 0.3 yuan per jin. [para. 15][para. 16] Local purchasing agent Cao Junmin prioritized elderly farmers but kept the high prices quiet, fearing market chaos. [para. 17] Cao Zhenxing noted that some internet celebrities rode the wave for self-promotion, but genuine helpers also appeared. [para. 18] Music festival promoter Liu Kaige drove an aid truck during a torrential downpour, and farmers, completely drenched, queued to load their stock. [para. 19] However, faced with the entire province's massive output, these charitable acts were merely a drop in the bucket. The internet traffic faded, leaving farmers to face the surplus alone. [para. 20]

4. Disastrous prices are rooted in razor-thin profit margins, climate disruption, and market overlap. [para. 21][para. 22] Transport costs out of the province consume all potential profits for wholesalers. [para. 23] Henan's 3 million mu of watermelon fields are traditionally intercropped with wheat. [para. 24] Excessive rainfall in 2026 delayed the wheat harvest, pushing back watermelon growth. [para. 25] This caused the harvest to collide directly with Ningxia's famous sand-grown watermelons. Facing premium competition and with their own sugar content diluted by the heavy rains, Henan's watermelons had no market. Nationwide, wholesale prices plummeted by nearly 40% compared to early May. [para. 26]

5. By afternoon, the bustling market turns quiet, littered with smashed fruit and sheep nibbling on discarded watermelons. [para. 27][para. 28] Yet the cycle continues. At 4 a.m. the next morning, despite a sudden torrential downpour, the farmers return. They huddle in a nearby gas station to escape the rain. When the rain pauses, they step into the mud, pull back the plastic tarps covering their carts, and stand by the roadside, ready to wait once more. [para. 29]

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Who’s Who

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What Happened When

2026-07-20：: Farmers shelter at a nearby gas station during torrential downpour, and after the rain a vendor stands on his tricycle looking around waiting for buyers.

2026-07-28：: Farmer Xia Lou finally sells his watermelons to a merchant after waiting for nearly 12 hours; local purchasing agent Cao Junmin organizes logistics for celebrity Kenji Wu's purchase; purchasing agent Cao Zhenxing collects watermelons in the market.

2026-07-29：: Music festival promoter Liu Kaige drives an aid truck into the market to purchase melons for fans; a torrential downpour starts that afternoon but desperate farmers queue and brave the rain to load stock.

2026-07-30：: Just after 4 a.m., as the sky gradually lightens, watermelon farmers in Zhangshi gather by the roadside waiting for buyers.

By early August 2026：: Internet traffic from celebrity intervention fades, leaving local farmers to face the reality of the surplus.

2026-08-07：: Following heavy rains, 58-year-old Zhao Aique harvests alone, taking over two hours to fill a single cart in muddy swamp fields.

2026-08-08：: Long before sunrise, farmers arrive at the market as early as 4 a.m.; farmer Xia Lou arrives at 4 a.m., waits nearly 12 hours, and sells 920 jin for 184 yuan; 70-year-old Cao Binglai brings over 1,200 jin of watermelons and is offered 50 yuan; vendor offers Song Fulai 7 fen per jin, he accepts for 124 yuan; 58-year-old Zhao Aique waits 14 hours to sell a 1,000-jin cart for 80 yuan; Wang Genwang admits that if offered 0.12 yuan per jin he would sell immediately; by afternoon the market turns quiet with smashed fruit on roadsides.

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