May

Guanzhong Plain, Shaanxi Province

In Maoling (Mao Tomb) and Pingling (Ping Tomb), you can see areas with canola flowers. Maoling is the tomb of Liu Che (156-87 BC), one of the emperors of Han Dynasty (206 -220 BC) and Ganling is said to be the tomb where the third emperor of Tang Dynasty (618-907) and Wu Zetian (624-705), the first female emperor of China, are buried together.

Getting there: At the bus station near Xi’an Railway Station, there are tour buses to Maoling and Ganling.July

Menyuan County, Qinghai Province

Menyuan County, Qinghai Province, has an altitude of 3,200 meters which delays the cycle of its flowers. About 400 million square meters of Canola flowers blossom around Qinghai Lake.

Getting there: From Xining, capital of Qinghai Province, you can take bus to Menyuan. The distance between Xining and Menyuan is 155 kilometers.

(Beijing Review March 26, 2008)