Ten-Thousand-Mu Sunflower Field

Ten-Thousand-Mu Sunflower Field

If dreams are golden, then the most beautiful dream must be hidden in Dengkou’s “Ten-Thousand-Mu Sunflower Field.” It is a beautiful and fertile riverside land nurtured by the mighty Yellow River as it carried silt and sand, and it is the most stunning scenery along the SanShengGong section of the Yellow River.

The Ten-Thousand-Mu Sunflower Field covers an area of about 10,000 mu, with a large planting area, long blooming period, and spectacular scenery. In the height of summer, the sunflower field becomes a vast golden ocean, offering pleasant views and the fragrance of blossoms in the air.

In spring, plump seeds are sown into the soil, sprouting tender yellow shoots; in early summer, the shoots grow into upright green stems with heart-shaped leaves unfurling and lifting their crinkled little faces. By early autumn, those once-wrinkled little green faces suddenly burst into bloom. It’s almost beyond imagination—tens of thousands of sunflowers bloom in competition, their golden petals dazzling and magnificent, like embroidered silk or morning glow, stretching along the golden Mother River all the way up to the sky.

In the evening, the slanting sunlight pours onto this field of sunflowers, blending with their yellow hues so seamlessly that you can hardly tell where the flowers end and the sunlight begins.

Standing amidst this ocean of flowers, whether taking photos, stopping to admire, or simply breathing in the floral fragrance, you feel as though you’ve entered a fairyland.

Address: South of the Yellow River Highway from Lanhe Sluice to Naihun Lake, Dengkou County

Best viewing period: Late July — Early October

Appendix: Legend of the Sunflower Field

Legend has it that the wife of the ancient Heavenly Emperor Jun was named Xihe, a timekeeping deity who each day drove the sun chariot pulled by nine dragons across the sky from east to west, bringing light and warmth to the land of China, and she was revered as the Sun Goddess for giving birth to ten suns for Emperor Jun.

The Goddess Xihe usually appeared in the sky in the form of a golden crow and never showed her true face. One day, while passing over the Yellow River in her nine-dragon chariot at dawn, she beheld a mighty river coursing through the earth, its roaring waters and towering white waves exuding a powerful masculine energy that shook heaven and earth. Deeply moved by the beauty of the Yellow River, she inadvertently revealed her true form. Little did she know, her true appearance was so breathtaking it could dim the radiance of both sky and land. At that very moment, the youthful River God Hebo, who was admiring the sunrise from the riverbed, accidentally caught a glimpse of Xihe’s true visage—and was instantly captivated.

Knowing that Xihe was the wife of Emperor Jun, Hebo dared not openly express his admiration. Instead, he spent his days gazing up at the goddess as she traveled from west to east along the river, hoping to ease his longing. Yet even this silent, youthful infatuation did not escape the all-seeing eyes of Emperor Jun. Furious, the Emperor decided to punish Hebo severely, cursing the Yellow River banks with “barren land unfit for grain or fruit.” True to the curse, the riverbanks became plagued with salinity and alkali, rendering the land uncultivable and plunging the nearby people into hardship. They no longer paid homage to Hebo.

But Hebo refused to yield to Emperor Jun’s wrath, remaining devoted to Xihe for a thousand years without regret. Eventually, his deep love moved Nüwa, the Goddess of Creation.

Goddess Nüwa scattered golden seeds across the Yellow River banks. Come spring, they bloomed; by autumn, they bore fruit. Where there had once been barren land, now lush greenery sprouted, radiant flowers bloomed like the morning sun, and abundant fruits formed. Because this miraculous plant always turned its face toward the sun until the end of its life, people came to call it the — sunflower. (By Li Hui, Dengkou County Tourism Bureau)