Editor’s Note: In order to develop distinguishing features and expand the market for traditional farming, there are many problems need to be solved. In Huzhou City, Zhejiang Province, She Guoxing, the owner of Xintian Farm, has been continuously developing new ways of growing melons more than 20 years. As his income increases, he sets up an example that is worth pondering for other farmers.

Experiential consumption is increasingly popular in today’s China. She Guoxing’s melons grow in the air and his vegetables grow on the shelves. On his farm, you can smell the fragrance of fruits and vegetables, but your shoes will not be smeared with the mud. Since 2016, She Guoxing’s farm has received more than 20,000 visits. Recalling his experience of farming in the past 20 years, She Guoxing believes that the innovation is a must for traditional farming to expand the market.

For example, She Guoxing innovated the way to grow melons, so that the vines crawl on the wire frame and melons hang in the air. In this way, melons become a landscape, attracting a large number of tourists. Additionally, melons hanging in the air can receive sunlight evenly and have better shape. With ventilation and light transmission improved, melons are less prone to pests and diseases, thus reducing the use of pesticide. The melons grown in this way are sweeter and more delicious. Compared to the melons grown on the earth in the conventional way, these melons’ growth cycle is longer by a week or so, so they are mellower and more nutritious.

However, at the beginning, She Guoxing suffered from many setbacks. In 1992, seeing that melon growing could have a good profit over a short time, She Guoxing quitted his job in a factory and leased a hectare of land to grow melons. However, he lost money that year. In the next 2 years, he continued to grow melons, but the results were not as good as he had expected. He gave up farming because of frustration and became a businessman. “However I didn’t earn much in business, so I returned to farming because I believed farming should have a promising future,” She Guoxing said.

He let bees fly into the greenhouses to improve pollination and raise the fruit setting rate. “Now I’ve mastered the long growth cycle melon cultivation techniques, and the output value has exceeded 6,000 yuan per mu. In recent years, I’ve introduced 30-some varieties to cater to the tastes of different consumers,” She Guoxing said.

“Agri-tourism is increasingly popular in recent years. I believe that it is high time to develop facility agriculture. I’ve once again upgraded the melon growing method according to the standards of modern agriculture,” said She Guoxing. Today, tourists can taste melons and go sightseeing on his farm. In addition to selling melons, She Guoxing also provides consumers with melon-picking experience.

Today, consumers are very concerned about agricultural products, which bring a great opportunity for developing agri-tourism. She Guoxing is studying agri-tourism and believes it will promise great prospects.