Xinghua

Xinghua (兴化, Xīnghuà) is a county-level city within Taizhou city, in Jiangsu province.

Xinghua is located at the northern end of the Yangtze Delta region. Originally, it was known as Zhaoyang and Chushui. Xinghua is well known for its aerial views.

• 🌍 Xinghua bus station. Located in the south east of the city, the bus terminal has regular connections to major cities in the area. (updated Apr 2018)

The main attraction is probably the rapeflower (canola) fields surrounded by canals to the north of the city centre.

Rapeflower fields, Qianduo scenic area, Xinghua, Jiangsu

• 🌍 Qianduo Scenic Area (千垛景区, also Qiandao 兴化千岛菜花风景区). A huge area of rapeflower (canola) fields north of town, accessed primarily by canals. Trails and two lookout towers have been added for tourists, and boats take visitors on several standard routes. The rapeflowers bloom from late March through April, and a flower festival is held at this time, with the dates varying based on weather conditions. During the festival, a shuttle bus is available from the major bus terminals in Taizhou and Xinghua, including the bus terminal adjacent to Taizhou's high-speed rail station. The ¥99 return shuttle ticket includes the ¥99 admission to the scenic area and a boat ride. As of spring 2018 the area is relatively developed as a tourist attraction, with more trails and boat routes under construction (along with a shopping plaza at the entrance), but there is basically zero English information on it available anywhere, in any form, and foreigners do not seem to be a common sight. A basic grasp of the language can be extremely useful for buying shuttle bus tickets or finding the bus at the end of the day. ¥99. (updated Apr 2018)

There is a small village of guesthouses just north of the parking area for the Qianduo rapeflower fields, but it is uncertain whether they accept foreigners. More options are available in town.

Taizhou has large peach and plum gardens which bloom around the same time as the rapeflowers.

Yangzhou has some very nice gardens.