Every spring, the entire county of Luoping will transform into a brilliant golden sea of flowers.
The small county of Luoping lies in the relatively underdeveloped eastern part of the Yunnan province, neighboring Guizhou and Guangxi provinces. It sits 137 miles (220 km) east of the capital Kunming,China.
In Luoping, the local plains in the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, is home to around 32,865 acres (133 million sq m) of canola flowers every spring. Spring is also honey season, the blooming canola (rapeseed) flowers attract bees and the area has become a national base for raising bees and processing honey. A few miles to the north of Luoping is NiuJie, here the flowers are grown in circular rings following the contours of the slopes similar to rice terraces.
The 9 Dragon Waterfall (Jiulong Waterfalls) is nearby, boasting a group of majestic waterfalls, the tallest which is nearly 184 feet (56m) high and 360 feet (110m) wide. Along the southeast portion of Luoping runs the Duoyi River which is formed by the water from five underground springs, the 7-½ mile (12km) river is surrounded by bamboo.
Best time of the year to visit is mid-February to early April.
The best view is atop Jinjifeng / Jinjiling (Golden Rooster Hill); many photographers set up on the top to shoot the sunrise and sunset over the sea of flowers.
Luoping in Yunnan Province, Wuyuan in Jiangxi Province and Anshun in Guizhou Province are all popular destinations for flower fans.
photos: ©Rachel Yin / ©Anne Berlin /YNA/ACT all rights reserved