The gleam of the crop（2）

Wheat straws are packed in bundles. [Photo by Feng Yongbin/China Daily]

Unlike other wheat fields, the crop in Jiangbulake is planted on a chain of undulating hills at the foot of the east side of the Tianshan Mountains. When the wind blows over the golden wheat, the way it moves and the sound it makes evokes comparisons with the ocean.

The higher the wheat is planted, the later it turns golden and reaches harvest time. In August, the color of the wheat blends perfectly with the grasslands of the nomads from the Kazak ethnic group who still herd and ride horses. People can hike from the wheat field all the way up to the Tianshan Mountains, gradually experiencing the changes in the landscape before spending the night in a yurt - the traditional, tent-like home of the Kazak people.

For these very reasons, Jiangbulake has become a popular tourist attraction, especially during this time of the year. The area has welcomed more than 560,000 tourists between January and July, an increase of more than 32.5 percent year-on-year.

"It feels like I am walking in an enlarged Van Gogh masterpiece, said Guo Haoming, an art teacher from a primary school in Shenzhen. "There are so many shades of gold and green."