Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Rapeseed Yellow Fields At Luoping

Rapeseed Yellow Fields At Luoping

By Jonny Blair


As a lover of the real "off the beaten track tourist gems", this is one of the latest editions to my list. Enchanted and inspired by a visit to the Yunnan Province in December 2012, it was time to return to check out the sights in and around the city of Luoping, the main point was to admire the marvellous Yellow Canola Fields at Jin Ji Cun.

Most travel books don't even include Luoping when mentioning China's Yunnan Province, that's how this place manages to stay so unknown. These yellow Canola fields are everywhere in the Springtime near Jin Ji Cun village, close to the town of Luoping.

What are the Yellow Fields at Jin Ji Cun?

A fantastic series of yellow fields! They are yellow because the flower for harvesting rapeseed is coloured bright yellow. Rapeseed oil is made from them, also known as Canola.

When is the best time to visit the Yellow Canola Fields at Jin Ji Cun?

Please make sure you go there only in Spring. This is when the yellow fields are visible. The rest of the year they are not! A little bit of research pays off here - it's advisable to head sometime between February and April.

How to get to the Canola Fields at Jin Ji Cun?

It's quite tricky to get to. Start off in the city of Luoping and get a bus out to Jin Ji Cun. Check with the locals by showing them photos of the fields and the Chinese character names. From there it's a 20 minute bus ride.

You pay on cash on the local bus, which is like a green mini-bus. The cost is 5RMB.

The bus will get you there in around 20 - 25 minutes and you will notice the yellow fields on the right hand side.

How much is the entry fee to Yellow Canola Fields?

There isn't one. They are remote lonely fields in the Chinese countryside and wilderness. You just walk down the path to the fields and that's it - no charge whatsoever. Enjoy - IT'S FREE!!!!!

What can you do at the Luoping Canola Fields?

They are yellow canola fields. You look at them and you admire them and you take some photos. Yes that's it. On the way there you walk down a path through a market where there are lots of local food stalls - things like potato, chicken and honey are all sold here. The path is less than 500 metres long and that's the only commercial thing here! There is no ticket booth and certainly no widespread advertising. This is as natural and uncommercial as a top tourist attraction can get.

To get really decent views over the yellow Canola fields, head to the top of one of the small hills in and around the fields. There are custom built paths up to the top.

After your walk round the yellow canola fields, simply head to the village called Ji Ji Cun to get a bed for the night. That was you can stay across the road from the fields and see them for sunrise and sunset.

Are these yellow canola fields at Jin Ji Cun special?

No - these yellow canola fields can be seen in lots of places including Australia, USA, Canada etc. But this is a really good off the beaten track location to see them, and it's extremely pretty, so I'd recommend it.

What other things are these to do at the yellow Canola Fields?

There are a few other things to see and do including an incredible national park with the 9 dragons waterfalls and riding on the back of a cart led by a yak. But the main attraction for now is the Yellow Canola Fields!




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