Tulips blossom in Jinyuan county in the Ningxia Hui autonomous region. [Photo by Yu Shaoxia/chinadaily.com.cn]
Chinese people eager to enjoy the beauty of tulips have another destination that's closer to home than the Netherlands — Jinyuan county in the Ningxia Hui autonomous region.
Currently, tens of thousands of tulips and daffodils are blossoming in Migang village in Jinyuan. Views for tourists are expected to last until the end of May.
As the first experimental area for poverty alleviation through tourism in China, Jinyuan county joined hands with Ningxia University in introducing tulip varieties from the Netherlands and daffodils from other parts of Europe to develop local flower industry and tourism.
Tulips blossom in Jinyuan county in the Ningxia Hui autonomous region. [Photo by Yu Shaoxia/chinadaily.com.cn]
Migang village, located in the Liupan Mountain area, is cold in summer, providing good weather conditions for growing tulips. The first batch of about 135,000 tulips was successfully planted last fall. Roses, lilies and peonies can also be seen this year.
The flower industry is expected to increase the aggregate income of residents by 60 million yuan ($9.2 million) annually, and is seen as critical for the building of a beautiful countryside.