China Lan County Potato Flower Scenic Area

Relying on its potato industry, Lan County has integrated tourism resources across the county and developed diversified tourism products. A comprehensive tourist resort combining sightseeing, leisure, hands-on experience, vacation and health preservation has been built, namely the China Potato Flower Scenic Area.

Lan County potatoes, grown in high and cold mountain areas free of smog, enjoy a high reputation throughout Shanxi Province. The Lan County Potato Feast, with a long history and unique flavours, has become a distinctive cultural food symbol of the county. The county has more than 300,000 mu of potato fields. Every July and August, potato flowers burst into full bloom all over the mountains, attracting a large number of tourists from home and abroad. In July and August of 2015 and 2016, Lan County held two consecutive editions of the "Potato Flowers in Bloom" Tourism and Culture Month, which triggered an upsurge in local tourism.

Hekou Township in northern Lan County is the major production base of high-quality potatoes and the core zone for enjoying potato blossoms. Surrounded by green mountains with gentle slopes, the township encloses the small Hekou Basin. The lowest altitude here reaches 1,500 metres. It enjoys cool weather in midsummer, a sound ecological environment and fresh clean air. Each year in July and August, the whole mountain is covered with blooming potato flowers sending forth sweet fragrance, forming a spectacular sea of blossoms.

Tourists may stroll along the green tourist loop linking Hekou Village, Wangjia Village, Taojia Village, Liangweigou Village and the North Gate of Yinmachi Mountain amid the sea of potato flowers. Walking through the Potato Culture Corridor, visitors can learn about the global history of potato cultivation. In the picturesque Wangjia Village, tourists can taste farmhouse food and stay in local courtyard houses to experience authentic rural life and embrace a slow-paced lifestyle close to nature.