Lavender tourism smells sweet in Beijing

An increasing number of lavender gardens have been opened to attract and entertain hordes of urban vacationers in China who are enchanted by the sweet smell and sight of the purple blossoms.

Chen Ying, a 26-year-old lavender lover in Tai'an, Shandong Province, never thought she would realize her lavender dream during her first visit to Beijing earlier this month.

"I fell in love with these purple flowers after seeing acres of lavender fields in Provence, France on a Chinese TV series adopted from Taiwan romantic novelist Chiung Yao's Dream Links. I always dreamed of such beautiful scenery, but Provence is too far way," she said.

But when her friend told of a newly open "lavender manor," Blues Dreamland, in northeastern Beijing, she rushed there. After paying a 40-yuan ($6) admission fee, she found herself standing in front of her dreamed-of lavender fields.

"I was totally affected by the endless purple blooms. Lavender means waiting for love, but it gives me the feeling of excitement and happiness rather than sorrow and gloom," said Chen, a Chinese literature teacher in a local high school.

Not every tourist was as sentimental as Chen. Scattered in the 50-acre fields, they walked along the path, took photos, bought souvenirs, had picnics and lay in tents.

Inspiration from Japan

Blues Dreamland, a tourist resort bankrolled by a local businessman in Beijing's Jinzhan village, has been open since July 15.

"The investor wanted to build a holiday resort for urban people and got the inspiration to grow lavender during his visit to Furano in Japan," said Wang Liang, general manager of Blues Dreamland.

The Blues Dreamland flowers come from Xinjiang, China's main lavender growing area. They are best viewed from May to mid-November, longer than the Provence lavender fields.

Wang said about 15 million yuan ($2.2 million) was invested for building the lavender garden. "We've hired around 100 local residents to help us grow plants in a greenhouse nearby, and then transplant them outside and maintain them every day," he said.

Huo Jun, a 44-year-old woman dressed in a purple uniform, was pulling weeds from the field. "I have been working here since March, and my salary is about 1,350 yuan ($200) per month," she said. "I live in a village nearby, and ride my bike about 20 minutes to work everyday."

Huo came to Beijing from Fuyang, Anhui Province with her husband and oldest son in 1997. "I used to work in Beijing's construction sites and iron factories. This job is not as tough as those, as I am more familiar with farm work," she said.

Wang said their revenue mainly comes from ticket sales, rentals for wedding photography and lavender product sales. "On weekends we can receive 5,000 tourists per day, and on weekdays we can receive 1,000 tourists per day," he said. "The annual revenue is expected to reach 8-9 million yuan ($1.2-$1.3 million)."

But Chen said there were actually few things to do in the garden. "We spent two hours enjoying lavenders, taking photos and lingering in the shop. The weather was so hot and it was difficult to even to find a place to rest," she said.

Wang said Dreamland would open a hot spring spa and build some wooden houses near the lavender fields next year. "As lavenders only last from May to mid-November, we are trying to find something interesting to cover the winner season, such as a skiing resort or an indoor arboretum," he added.

Following the lavender trail overseas

The cultivated lavender gardens have also ignited tourists' ambitions to go abroad.

With a monthly income of 1,800 yuan ($264.8), Chen said she still wishes to visit Provence one day. "Blues Dreamland helped me realize part of my dream, but it is not the real Provence," she said.

Chinese travel agents such as China International Travel Services (CITS) and China Travel Service have provided tourists with lavender routes to Provence, Furano and Xinjiang. But they said the Xinjiang route is not as popular as Provence and Furano.

"We had a lavender route in Xinjiang in June, ranging from 4,000 to 6,000 yuan ($588 to $882), but few customers chose it," said Hao Hongwei, director of the western China tourism department at CITS. "Tourists to Xinjiang mainly choose traditional routes between late July and October, visiting Kanas Lake and Kanas Grassland and tasting fresh fruits."

"The price of traveling to Xinjiang is similar to that of going to Japan, so most tourists will choose Japan as their destination for seeing lavender, and they can also enjoy spas, sea food and shopping during the trips," said Dai from CTA.

Ma said Provence also offers more than lavenders. "It's a place with history and culture, where Romans built a smaller version of the Coliseum in Rome (the Arènes of N?mes Coliseum) and Van Gogh got inspiration for his art," he said.