At the bottom of the mountain is a sunflower field in the shape of eight giant diagrams. Photo provided to China Daily

A view of the countryside

For those visiting Hefei, the capital of Anhui province, you can go to the city's Chaohu district to enjoy the countryside and the hot spring. Chaohu is more than five hours' drive from Xiuning county, and is known as the capital of ancient hot springs due to the Bantang Hot Spring discovered as early as the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC). In the daytime, you can ride a bicycle on a 15-kilometer cycling route in the Tulip Highland Scenic Area to see the colorful flowers on the road. At night, you can relax in the ancient spring after one day's sightseeing. At the end of the route is an area of flowers such as tulips, lavender and peonies. It's better to visit when the flowers are in full blossom. More outdoor leisure facilities in the scenic area are under construction.

If you go

There are daily flights from major Chinese cities to Huangshan Tunxi Airport. Then take a taxi to Xiuning county for about 15 minutes.