'Golden queen' buzzes in summer

A globeflower festival was hosted in Zhenglan Banner, Xilin Gol League, Inner Mongolia autonomous region, on July 18, enticing hundreds of tourists to visit the dazzling golden-orange sea.

Colloquially known as ‘golden queen’, globeflowers are striking perennials with long stems and bowl-shaped, golden-yellow blossoms. Most inhabit the prairie and sparse woodland at an altitude ranging from 1,000 to 2,000 meters. In China, globeflowers can be found in Shanxi, Hebei and Inner Mongolia. People utilized the dry flowers as medicine to clear away heat and detoxifying bodily waste.

A family roams through the globeflower sea in Zhenglan Banner, Xilin Gol League, Inner Mongolia autonomous region, on July 18. [Photo/nmgnews.com.cn]

A troupe performs at the globeflower festival in Zhenglan Banner, Xilin Gol League, Inner Mongolia autonomous region, on July 18. [Photo/nmgnews.com.cn]

Women in folk costumes take photographs among the field of globeflowers in Zhenglan Banner, Xilin Gol League, Inner Mongolia autonomous region, on July 18. [Photo/nmgnews.com.cn]

A sightseeing bus travels through the globeflower sea in Zhenglan Banner, Xilin Gol League, Inner Mongolia autonomous region on July 18. [Photo/nmgnews.com.cn]

Two girls hold artificial globeflowers in Zhenglan Banner, Xilin Gol League, Inner Mongolia autonomous region, on July 18. [Photo/nmgnews.com.cn]