Jiangsu Travel: Xinghua Qingming Spring Outing to View Rapeseed Flower Sea (Photo)

The water rapeseed flower sea in Xinghua, Jiangsu, is well-known. Every year during Qingming, a grand Thousand Island Rapeseed Flower Tourism Festival is held here. On April 2, 2011, the reporter was invited to join a self-driving convoy organized by the Beijing Aiche Sunshine Automobile Club to Jiangsu, embarking on an unforgettable four-day Qingming spring outing and inspiration-seeking trip.

The convoy departs from Taizhou (Photo by Feng Ganyong)

On the morning of April 4, 2011, after attending the opening ceremony of the '6th China Eco-Tourism Festival & 2011 China Jiangyan • Qintong Boat Festival', the Aiche Sunshine self-driving convoy left Taizhou and headed to the Thousand Island Rapeseed Flower Scenic Area in Ganggu Township, Xinghua City. Upon arrival, it coincided with the 'China • Xinghua 3rd Thousand Island Rapeseed Flower Tourism Festival'. The narrow road leading there was jammed with vehicles from all over, cars moving slowly like snails. After arriving at the scenic area, it was still crowded with visitors.

The crowds at Thousand Island Rapeseed Flower (Photo by Feng Ganyong)

This place is renowned nationwide for its 'duotian' (raised fields) landscape in the style of a thousand islands. According to research, 750 years ago, farmers in Ganggu Township took soil from the water to build fields, neatly arranged like stacks, and planted crops on them, evolving into the current ecological scenery. Every year around Qingming, the varied raised fields form thousands of small islands in the lake, each covered with golden rapeseed flowers, creating a vast yellow 'flower sea' on the water, boundless and breathtaking.

Rapeseed flowers on water resemble an oil painting (Photo by Feng Ganyong)

Upon arrival, the convoy members first followed the wooden boardwalks built above the rapeseed fields, which extend in all directions. Then they went to the central area's boat dock and took small wooden boats gliding through the waterways among the rapeseed flowers. The boatwomen, all local natives, rowed their rustic small boats through, allowing visitors to experience the unique sensation of 'boats moving in water, people walking among flowers'.

Rapeseed flower landscape (Photo by Feng Ganyong)

The Thousand Island Rapeseed Flower Scenic Area is east of Dongwang Village, Ganggu Township, Xinghua City, Jiangsu, covering an area of over 10,000 mu, with a core rapeseed flower viewing area of 4,600 mu. The scenic area is dense with waterways, rivers like crisscrossing paths, a thousand-island landscape, and myriad mu of rapeseed flowers, presenting a natural scene of 'rivers with countless bends of clear water, fields without a single raised field without yellow flowers.' This is a unique landscape symbol of Xinghua in the Lixiahe region. Boating here feels like entering a water maze; the rich wild fragrance intoxicates, and the scenery makes visitors linger.

Cruising in the flower scenic area (Photo by Feng Ganyong)

In the natural landscape of Thousand Island Rapeseed Flowers, the thousand raised fields are interlaced with ditches and rivers; the raised fields are surrounded by water, creating a pleasant scenery. Seen from afar, the rapeseed fields stretch endlessly; up close, each raised field floats on the water, like huge water bonsai, winding through the crisscrossing ditches among the fields.

The reporter on a boat (Photo by Liang Yanhong)

Vast fields of rapeseed flowers (Photo by Feng Ganyong)

'The shimmering water is best under clear sky,' 'Gently polished mirror reflects the fragrant blooms.' Bathing in the slanting sunlight, the rapeseed stalks as tall as a person on the raised fields are entirely reflected in the water. The fragrance of the raised fields and the water surface blend into one. And the rapeseed flowers, misty, dense, hazy, and foggy, make one's soul entranced.

Water recreation (Photo by Feng Ganyong)

Heading to the Water Forest (Photo by Feng Ganyong)

In a blink, the reporter's small boat arrived at the pier below the observation tower. Since boarding and disembarking were mixed together here, it was somewhat chaotic. Passengers had to go through a lot of trouble whether getting on or off. After disembarking, climbing the observation deck and looking down, the entire Thousand Island Rapeseed Flower Scenic Area came into view—a spectacular sight of a yellow flower sea.

Water Forest Scenic Area (Photo by Feng Ganyong)

Perhaps due to climate, it was not yet the peak blooming season. Although many places had turned golden yellow, large areas were still between yellow and green, which made the flower sea more layered. The last stop of the convoy's Jiangsu self-driving trip was to the Xinghua Lizhong Water Forest wonder. The Lizhong Water Forest Park was built in the early 1980s, with a forest area of 1,050 mu and water area of 500 mu. It is the largest water forest in Jiangsu Province, located near the 'Thousand Island Rapeseed Flowers'.

Water Forest (Photo by Feng Ganyong)

The convoy drove there. After entering the scenic area, the members followed the wooden boardwalk into the forest. The forest was crisscrossed with winding rivers, and over 100,000 metasequoia and pond cypress trees soared into the sky from the clear river water—truly a magnificent spectacle. It is said that over 100,000 birds such as egrets, black cuckoos, and wild ducks inhabit here year-round. While walking through the forest, various pleasant bird calls could be heard from time to time. Numerous unnamed birds fluttered and soared in the sky above the forest.

Looking up at the sky from the forest (Photo by Feng Ganyong)

Entering the Water Forest (Photo by Feng Ganyong)

Here, visitors can either take a wooden raft drifting along the forest waterways or stroll on the 'Pool Forest Boardwalk' of the 'Water Jiuzhaigou', experiencing the novel feeling of 'walking on water'. There are also small pavilions by the boardwalk; sitting inside, one can look down at the water and look up at the forest and birds, which is very interesting.

Boating in the forest water (Photo by Feng Ganyong)

Looking out from the wooden boardwalk of the Water Forest, one can also see fields of rapeseed flowers surrounding the farmland outside the Water Forest, which is also very beautiful. Lizhong Water Forest can be called a natural ecological oxygen bar, an ideal place for urbanites to return to nature and relax on vacation.

Small wooden cabins in the Water Forest (Photo by Feng Ganyong)

Taking photos in the Water Forest (Photo by Cao Qun)

After finishing the tour of Lizhong Water Forest, the convoy drove to Yancheng that afternoon. That evening, a grand reunion banquet was held in Yancheng. On the morning of April 5, the convoy set off on the return journey to Beijing, arriving safely around 9 p.m. that night. Thus the four-day Jiangsu self-driving trip concluded successfully. (Text and photos: Feng Ganyong)