Biz Scene: Biz Unusual

Rare horses

A history museum in Changchun recently bought three "Blood Sweating Horses", or Akhal Teke, a rare breed originating in Turkmenistan.

The three horses were transported by airplane from Turkmenistan along with sackfuls of their favorite weeds. One of the horses will be sold at an auction in Hong Kong, with bidding starting at HK$5 million.

The horseman said the cost of raising the three horses, including their food and daily care, is 100,000 yuan per month.

Giant watermelon

A giant watermelon, weighing 57.5 kilograms, was recently sold for 1,000 yuan by a street vendor in Shenyang in Liaoning Province.

Gao Zhenhe, a farmer from Heilongjiang Province, said he has been planting supersized watermelons for two years. He said he applied advanced farming technology and that it needs 50 square meters of land to grow one supersized watermelon.

Gao said his watermelon was priced at 18 yuan per kilogram, much higher than the average market price of 1 yuan, and claimed his giant watermelon is sweeter than the ordinary ones, thus attracting many buyers.

(China Daily 09/27/2007 page15)