Hami melons are grown in the Tarim, Junggar and Turpan basins, and the Hami Prefecture. It is said that the Hami melon was not originally produced in Hami but in the nearby Shanshan. Because King Hami sent it to the Qing (1644-1911) emperor as a tribute, which praised the fruit greatly for its incomparable honey aroma, the melon was so named "Hami melon."

The sweet and tasty Hami melons are reputed as the "king of melons." One melon contains a great amount of vitamins, four to seven times of those in watermelons, six times of those in apples, and 1.3 times of those in apricots.

Hami melons have more than 180 varieties in different shapes, sizes, and flesh colors, with their sizes ranging from as large as a cannonball of over a dozen kilograms to as small as a coconut. They are mainly elliptic in shape and come in colors of yellow, green, brown and white, with various dapples (color patches).

Hami melons are not only delicious, but also rich in nutrition, and especially have high medicinal values. A Hami melon can allay a fever and dispel the heat, so it is a healthy choice on hot summer days. It also helps to improve people's hematogenous (blood) function and treat nephropathy (kidney disease), stomach bug, cough, anemia, and constipation, and so on.