Daxing district, famous for its watermelons, will hold its 22nd annual watermelon festival from May 28 to June 1 - but with a big difference in its theme.
Instead of focusing on promoting just the fruit, the festival will focus more on industrial development, said Tan Xuxiang, executive vice-governor of Daxing district government.
The reason: there are plans to develop Daxing, south of Beijing, into a modern manufacturing district in collaboration with the Yizhuang Economic Technological Development Area.
Wang Xin, deputy Party secretary of Daxing district committee, said: "Daxing district is facing an opportunity to integrate with Yizhuang."
The integration will not only bring opportunities for economic development to Daxing, but is also expected to create jobs in Yizhuang, an officer from Daxing district human resources and social security bureau said at a press conference on Thursday.
"Up to the end of April, 1,314 people from Daxing district had found jobs in Yizhuang, which was 77 percent of the total employment last year," he said. "We've had a pretty good start."
Ding Maozhan, who has a PhD candidate in economics from Peking University, said in his blog that Beijing needs a national industrial development zone, similar to Shanghai, Tianjin and Zhuhai.
"The integration of Yizhuang, Daxing and Tongzhou districts as an industrial development zone can rival the status of Beijing as the capital and a world city," Ding said.
Such a zone will centralize Beijing's industries and ease the pressure of the northern and western part of the city, Ding said.
"The zone can lower the density of the population downtown and keep Beijing as a historical cultural city," he said.
Locals in Yizhuang and Daxing hold different views, with some preferring Yizhuang to remain independent.
"We can't just integrate Yizhuang with Daxing district because of the success of Shanghai and Tianjin", said resident Wang Weixuan.
"Yizhuang is unique. I would flee from Yizhuang if it does not develop as planned in the 11th Five-Year plan."
But others appear to applaud the collaboration.
"I only care about the future development of Yizhuang," said a woman in her 30s surnamed Yu. "It doesn't matter which district it collaborates with, as long as it is good."
Jin Ting, who has been living in Daxing for seven years, said Yizhuang was originally part of Daxing before it became an industrial development zone.
"What's wrong with Yizhuang coming back to be part of Daxing district as it used to be?" he said.
"Daxing district has also been developing quickly and well in recent years."
