Chinese man crowned 'melon king'
Chinese farmer Li Fengchun has won the title of 'melon king' at a Beijing competition for the larg…Chinese farmer Li Fengchun has won the title of 'melon king' at a Beijing competition for the largest watermelon, with his 176 pound fruit, which is roughly the weight of an adult man.
According to the Fengchun, he has spent the past 30 years growing the fruit. The 46-year-old told reporters that he has been planting watermelons for 30 years.
During the first competition in 1995, the heaviest watermelon was only 30 pounds but last year it reached 182 pounds.
He said: 'I just keep raising melons like my children'.
The contest was judged by 20 experts from Beijing and other provinces along with research institutes.
The competition has been brought into the modern age with judges given iPads to score watermelons which was then uploaded to a system to count the result and ensure that data was accurate.
The 'Melon King' cup pays attention to not only weight but a number of integrated factors including appearance and sugar content.
All entries were tested for pesticide residue in order to meet the entry requirement.
The festival was established in 1988 and is located in Daxing, the agricultural district of Beijing.