Beijing Watermelon Festival kicks off (3/5)

A chef is carving out watermelon roses at the 2014 National Watermelon Arena Contest on May 25, 2014. The 26th Daxing Watermelon Festival kicks off on May 28 in Panggezhuang Town in Beijing's Daxing District. The juicy festival, launched in 1988, is an annual event hosted by the district government. It enables visitors to taste, buy and pickle watermelons produced on the vast plantations of Daxing, a large watermelon producer in Beijing. Between May and July, a series of activities will be held in Daxing, including the 2014 Gourmand World Cookbook Awards and an international new media forum. Rose-themed tourism activities will also be held in Daxing, which is gearing up for the 2016 World Federation of Rose Societies (WFRS) Regional Convention. [Photo/China.org.cn]