In June, large sections of the Bashang plateau transform from green grassland to a saturated yellow as canola — rapeseed — comes into flower across the valley floors and lower hillsides. The scale of it is what makes the effect striking: not garden patches but fields extending for kilometres, broken by the dark green of spruce and the grey of distant ridgelines. Luanhe Source Scenic Area in Fengning County is the most visited spot for the flowers, but the landscape rewards exploration away from the designated viewpoints.
The flowering period runs roughly from late May through mid-June depending on elevation and weather in any given year. During peak flowering the area is crowded with photographers from Beijing, and accommodation in Fengning needs booking well in advance. Earlier or later in the season the crowds thin but the colour is less intense. The flower fields are incidental to the agricultural economy — the canola is grown for oil — which means the planting patterns change year to year.