2014-04-12

The Yellow Flowers of Rapeseed | Canola fields in China

Luoping is a small county in eastern Yunnan, China, located about 228 kilometres northeast of Kunming, near the border of Yunnan and Guangxi, with Guizhou province. In early spring, when the yellow flowers of rapeseed (also called canola) are in full bloom, the area takes on the appearance of a "golden sea" – a spectacle that has made Luoping a Mecca for photographers. The sprawling farmland is covered in golden yellow rapeseed flowers stretching as far as the eye can see, all the way to the horizon. The best time to visit Luoping for this visual feast is in February and March; by June, the show is over.

Apart from photographers, the blossoming rapeseed flowers and the refreshing smell of spring attract bees. Luoping is a national base for raising bees and producing honey products. Rapeseed flowers are planted to harvest the oil from their seeds after the flowers have wilted after their colourful bloom once. Planted throughout China, but blooms at different times of the year, depending on the temperature of the place. Rapeseed farms in Luoping are among the largest in China, covering a large area.

First Image credit: cwleungcw02

Image credit: cwleungcw02

Spring is also the season of beekeeping and honey processing. Beekeepers have tents based on rapeseed farms in spring to keep bees and harvest their honey - bees feed on the flowers of rapeseed. Hence, most of the rapeseed farms are also a hive of bees in the spring and can be a little irritating. These beekeepers move to other locations within Luoping after the season of rapeseed with wildflowers as raw material for their bees. The most famous place to see the rapeseed flower is Jinjifeng. It is just a few miles outside the city and is easily accessible by bus. The landscape is flat, interrupted by mounds of cerritos, breaking the monotony. The plain allows the gentle breeze to move the flowers in mesmerising sway.