Five Colors Valley, a Grand Sea of Flowers in Early Summer

★ Travel Location: Five Colors Valley, Taiji Cave Scenic Area, Xuancheng, Anhui. By the time we came out of Taiji Cave, it was already a bit late. Even though we weren't hungry, the familiar aroma of tea eggs tempted us, and we couldn't help but buy a few. Surprisingly, the stall at the entrance of the scenic area sold them for only two yuan each, which could be considered a very reasonable price.

Five Colors Valley is very close to Taiji Cave. If we hadn't bought the combo ticket, we probably wouldn't have chosen to enter the Flower Valley. After all, flower valleys can be found everywhere and are not particularly distinctive scenic spots; there was no need to travel all the way here just to see flowers. Under similar climatic conditions, the flowers here are no different.

The flower basket at the entrance was quite distinctive. Although its shape made it instantly recognizable as a flower basket, its scale was inevitably too massive. The characters '五色谷' (Five Colors Valley) were carved onto the body of the basket.

In this season, purple romance is indispensable, but these purples were not lavender, but the commonly seen verbena. Except that the color is not as deep and the fragrance is not as strong, in terms of appearance alone, verbena actually does not lose to lavender. Because it is easier to cultivate and has lower requirements for soil and climate, verbena has been considered the best substitute for lavender in recent years.

The colors of the coreopsis were also beautiful in the sunlight; once they formed clusters or seas of flowers, they became very eye-catching. Golden marguerite and coreopsis can be considered close relatives, also with golden petals, and some varieties have a black ring in the center. Cosmos, on the other hand, is more charming and delicate, with thin petals and rich colors, often becoming the mainstay of the flower sea.

It could be seen that although the Flower Valley was included in the combo ticket for Taiji Cave, its own design and arrangement had taken quite a bit of thought. Not to mention the floral combinations in these fields and the fragrance wafting to the nose, even the winding paths were thoughtful. People could immerse themselves in the sea of flowers, especially suitable for young ladies wearing Hanfu, lifting their skirts as they walk through the flower sea—that itself is a beautiful scenery. So, touring in Hanfu is actually more appropriate here.

Besides the colorful flower fields, there were also some interesting facilities, especially suitable for children to play: wooden stakes of varying thickness, lush green pergolas, and a small lake where you could catch crabs. It was said that there were activities here during the day, but unfortunately we missed them. Of course, my companion had little interest in these activities, and not much interest in the flower sea either, but instead was quite intrigued by a nearby nameless hill.

Thus, our trip to the Flower Valley did not last long before we were urged to leave. Taking advantage of the night not yet falling, my companion found a path and went mountain climbing alone. Actually, this hill was not a tourist attraction at all; it might have been a quarry. At the foot of the slope, there were many huge stones. The texture of these stones was quite good, somewhat reminiscent of Taihu stones. The mountain path was not easy to traverse, not to mention steps, and even the trails formed by many people walking were not clearly visible. So we started to back out: 'Don't get lost after sunset...'

Looking up, the setting sun seemed to have already sunk in the west. Fortunately, the days in May are starting to get longer; if it were deep winter, it would be almost dark by now.

'It's okay, this hill is not high,' my companion said with great enthusiasm, as if he would regret it for a long time if not allowed to climb. Finally, we compromised: we waited at the foot of the hill, while my companion climbed up alone, using both hands and feet. Actually, this hill was pretty much the same as the neighboring hills, showing no particular features and no special scenery...