"As the weather gets hot, various fruits and drinks are becoming more abundant. Recently, I have been keen on going out and trying fresh fruits." Ms. Tang said. Her refrigerator has been occupied by various newly launched fruits such as yangmei, lychee, and durian.

In the summer, Kunming's markets offer a variety of seasonal fruits. At the Zhuanxin Wet Market, citizens who come early to buy vegetables shuttle between various stalls, inquiring about prices, tasting, and purchasing.

The newly launched yangmei are placed in different baskets according to their variety and size. There are not many yangmei on the market currently, mainly Shiping Yangmei and Dongkui Yangmei. "Many people think that Dongkui Yangmei is produced in Zhejiang, but in fact, the Dongkui Yangmei sold now is basically a product grafted from Zhejiang to Yunnan, in order to be sold together with the local yangmei and to create a time difference with the yangmei from other regions," said Ms. Wu, the owner of a fruit shop. Currently, the Yunnan local yangmei being sold is mainly Shiping Yangmei, with prices ranging from 15 to 35 yuan/kg. "There are many citizens who want to try them out, as you can see, several of my baskets are already empty," she added.

Except yangmei, Feizixiao lychee has also appeared on the stalls. "Feizixiao lychee has been on the market for a while now. Due to the high transportation costs, the purchase and sales prices have also increased. In recent days, they have dropped a bit, and now the selling price is 45 yuan/kg," said Mr. Peng, the owner of another fruit shop. In addition to Feizixiao, there are also many local lychees in Yunnan, with cultivation in many regions such as Yuxi and Honghe. Among them, lychees from Yuanjiang are on the market earlier. "In recent years, the purchase price has been basically above 30 yuan/kg. Citizens who want to indulge in lychees can wait until after June when a large number of local lychees and Guangxi lychees will be on the market, and the prices will be more affordable," he added.

In addition, there are also a small number of sweet cherries on sale in the market, with prices ranging from 15 to 20 yuan/kg, while Meizao cherries from Shandong and Liaoning are around 100 yuan/kg.

Hema Fresh is selling Dongkui Yangmei from Honghe, Yunnan at 39.9 yuan for 450g, and Biqi Yangmei at 29.9 yuan for 450g. Feizixiao lychee is sold at 19.9 yuan for 450g, and Hainan Baitangying lychee is sold at 29.9 yuan for 450g. Meizao cherries start at 225 yuan per kg.

"Summer is the time to eat watermelon. After work, I would buy some and go home, watch TV dramas and eat it. It's refreshing and relieves the heat," said Xiao Zhang, who was picking a good watermelon. Watermelons cost around 5 to 14 yuan/kg, mangoes around 10 yuan/kg, apricots around 15 yuan/kg, loquats around 20 yuan/kg... A large amount of fruit on sale has added sweetness to the summer.

This summer, in addition to the large number of watermelons and cantaloupes on the market, a new type of horn-shaped honeydew melon has also appeared. At a fruit shop on Rixin Road, this fruit, which looks like a cucumber and has a light color, is priced at 15 yuan/kg and is popular among citizens. "I often see horn-shaped honeydew melon being sold in live streaming on the internet. They don't need to be peeled and can be eaten directly. Today, I unexpectedly found them being sold nearby and bought some to try," said Ms. Xiao.

"Sweet, crispy, and with a strong melon flavor, the horn-shaped honeydew melon is getting popular on the internet," said Mr. He, the shop owner. This type of melon was originally produced in northern cities but failed to be exported on a large scale. In recent years, it has been introduced to many southern cities. "I saw it selling like hotcakes on e-commerce platforms. After trying it out, I found that it tasted good, so I brought it to my shop for sale," He said. The horn-shaped honeydew melon has now entered the market in large quantities, with prices not too high. There is no need to peel it, and both the flesh and seeds can be eaten. It has a high sweetness level. When selecting, you can check whether the stem is fresh or not, and the ones with a soft tail are often sweeter.

Browsing various short video platforms, there are numerous videos of people opening durians, with many online viewers. However, the high prices have discouraged many people from trying them. Currently, it is the peak season for durian sales, and large quantities of Thai durians have entered the Chinese market, causing prices to drop to around 40 yuan/kg in many parts of the country. What about the prices in Kunming's market?

A fruit shop located at Guangfu Road Aiqinhai Shopping Mall is displaying a variety of durians for sale, with Golden Pillow durian priced at 63 yuan/kg and Musang King durian at 48.8 yuan/kg. Another fruit shop on Xinwen Road is selling Kan Yao durian at 49.8 yuan/kg, while Walmart (Qianxing Road branch) is selling Golden Pillow durian at 53.8 yuan/kg. At the Zuanxin Wet Market, Musang King durian is priced at 70 yuan/kg. A shop owner at the market said, "Durian is a fruit that is difficult to estimate the amount of flesh. It's hard to judge how many sections of flesh and how thick or thin the skin is, just like opening a blind box. Therefore, watching videos of people opening durians is a great way to relieve stress. In recent years, with the opening of the China-Laos Railway, transportation costs have decreased, and the retail prices in the terminal market have also significantly decreased."

At Walmart, customers can purchase a single Golden Pillow durian priced according to its size. Durians weighing 1.5 kg to 2 kg cost 89 yuan, those weighing 2 kg to 2.5 kg cost 119 yuan, those weighing 2.5 kg to 3 kg cost 149 yuan, and those weighing 3 kg to 3.5 kg cost 179 yuan. The price per kilogram is around 50 yuan, which has attracted many customers to buy. "Every year during this time, durians always cause a wave of consumer frenzy with their unique taste and unpredictable opening results... I buy a 'durian blind box' every year," said Ms. Tang, waiting to check out.

At the end of last year, the designated supervisory area for imported fruits at the Mohan Railway Port in Yunnan was put into use. The amount of imported fruits, such as mangosteens and durians, transported to China via the China-Laos Railway has been increasing. As of April 28th this year, the China-Laos Railway has transported 11,000 tons of imported fruits, enriching the domestic fruit market.

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(Editors: Christine, Amy)