Popular travel destinations feeling the strain of overtourism
Seen from above, fields of canola flowers near Xinghua appear as blankets of gold.
A pagoda provides outstanding panoramic views of Xinghua's canola fields, seen here shimmering in full bloom.
The water forest can be explored throughout the year, though of course springtime with its canola showstopper is a favorite season. But consider visiting the forest in fall.
Several suspension footbridges span the waterways, created not only to provide a free-flow of tourists, but to allow access for hundreds of agricultural workers during the harvest.
Each spring, Xinghua attracts thousands of tourists eager to visit the Qianduo (raised wetland fields) Scenic Area and admire hundred of canola flower beds amid interweaving waterways.
The canola fields are about a one-hour drive from Taizou, a city located on the East China Sea coast. From here, getting to Xinghua by road takes you along the scenic rainbow road.
A boat is the easiest way of exploring this watery wilderness. Besides admiring the trees, which are listed as critically endangered in the wild, nature lovers can also admire a host of wildlife.
Located north-west of the city of Xinghua is a vast water forest, known for its dawn redwoods, a tree species rooted in water, which give this outstanding natural wonder its name.
Fall arrives with warm autumnal colors, when the honey-hued forest is burnished with chimney red and sunset orange.
The water forest can also be explored on foot by following a raised boardwalk that zigzags its way around the trunks of endless lofty dawn redwoods. And don't be surprised to find locals indulging in a spot of tai chi at the water's edge.
Tourists are free to wander the canola fields, whether alone, in pairs, or in groups. Guided tours are also available.
Flying over the fields in September rewards microlight passengers with a wealth of late harvest photo opportunities like this one: farmers harvesting chives.
The fields can be explored on foot by following well-trodden trails.
A "flightseeing" microlight excursion over the Xinghua countryside brings with it others surprises. Have your camera primed for moments like this, as a villager piles sacks of red skinned onions ready for the market.
A vast network of irrigation channels nourish the golden-yellow crop.
So named for its blue-, yellow-, and purple-trimmed verge, Rainbow Road arrows low over the briny shallows and passes towns and villages that appear as if floating on the water's surface.
A few weeks before harvest and the fields are still a verdant hue of emerald and jade. As spring approaches, the land begins to turn the color of sunshine.
Combine rice harvesting is not unusual in Xinghua, given the endless tracts of land on which the crop is cultivated.
Sources: (Healthline) (Heron Conservation) (Save the Redwoods League) (XinhuaNet)
Canola has been cultivated in China for two millennia. For some years now Xinghua province has enjoyed a place on China's agricultural heritage list for its use of duo tian, a traditional method of agriculture that consists of raised fields set over irrigation channels.
Sightseeing boats tied up along the riverside. Tourism generates substantial income for boat owners and tour guides during the brief but spectacular harvest.
As an agricultural hub, Xinghua is well known for producing other crops besides canola, a harvest that includes chrysanthemum blooms (pictured). The fragrance is quite intoxicating.
An interesting, almost abstract canvas of the fields and waterways, as seen from the pagoda viewing platform.
Another rewarding way of admiring the mustard-coated countryside is by boat.
While out and about on the water, look out for the Chinese pond heron, one of the country's nationally protected species.
Each spring, the countryside around the city of Xinghua in China's Jiangsu province erupts in a riot of color as vast fields of canola flowers blossom in the sunshine. Tourists descend in their thousands upon the region to witness this natural spectacle, when bars of land turn gold and appear to float on a sea of wide canals and narrow channels. A busy and productive agricultural hub, Xinghua is also known for its arable crops. And the destination is also home to an incredible water forest, a briny oasis alive with rare trees and protected wildlife.
Click through this gallery and be amazed by Xinghua's fields of gold.
Rural tourism has seen a robust growth in China, and destinations like Jiangsu province afford city-dwellers an opportunity to experience country life. Pictured is a microlight in flight, one of the more adventurous ways of taking in the sights.
Canola is a bright-yellow flowering member of the mustard and cabbage family. Prized for use in animal feed, canola, otherwise known as rapeseed, is the third-largest source of vegetable oil and second-largest source of protein meal in the world.
China's spectacular Xinghua spring flower landscapes
The golden canola fields of Jiangsu province
TRAVEL Geography
Each spring, the countryside around the city of Xinghua in China's Jiangsu province erupts in a riot of color as vast fields of canola flowers blossom in the sunshine. Tourists descend in their thousands upon the region to witness this natural spectacle, when bars of land turn gold and appear to float on a sea of wide canals and narrow channels. A busy and productive agricultural hub, Xinghua is also known for its arable crops. And the destination is also home to an incredible water forest, a briny oasis alive with rare trees and protected wildlife.
Click through this gallery and be amazed by Xinghua's fields of gold.