Where a hundred flowers bloom

With summer in full swing, why not take a break from Beijing's grey sidewalks and head to the Wuhua (five flower) Grassy Marshland, only three-hour's drive from the city?

The marshland, located in Zhangjiakou's Guyuan county of Hebei province and 300 km north of Beijing, is a 135- hectare ocean of flowers.

"The name of Wuhua does not suggest that there are only five kinds of flowers on the grassy marshland," says Hao Desheng, a resident of Guyuan. "Instead, the name comes from an old Chinese saying that mentions 'Wuyan Liuse' (five colors, six tones), which is used to describe the variety of colors."