Watermelons mean wealth for villagers in desert

Liu Zhancun sold a 15 kilogram watermelon for 2,000 yuan ($279) at a fruit auction this summer, 100 times the usual price, making it an online celebrity.

His father, Liu Wengang, who has been farming melons for over 30 years in northwestern China's Ningxia Hui autonomous region, wears a big smile when he reflects on the sweet life brought by his melons.

The Gobi Desert surrounding the Liu's hometown of Zhongwei has long been used to grow watermelons, but the yield used to be poor.