Sunflowers fill the horizon in Qidong Halophytes Garden, which was especially designed to cultivate saline-alkali tolerant plants. [Photo/WeChat account of Qidong Daily]

A veritable sea of sun flowers are in bloom in the Qidong Halophytes Garden, attracting visitors to come to the scenic spot to take snapshots. 

Located in the Qidong High-tech Industrial Zone in Jinhai town (Near Ocean town), only 1 kilometer away from the seaside, the Qidong Halophytes Garden is the first botanical garden in Jiangsu province that features saline-alkali tolerant plants.

Nearly 120 varieties of plants are grown in the garden, including taxodium mucronatum, quercus viriniana, myrica cerifera – and, of course, ever-popular sun flowers.

The garden occupies an area of 23.33 hectares and received investment of 30 million yuan ($4.36 million) to set up. 

The planting area for sun flowers occupies about 1 hectare, providing visitors with a perfect destination for taking photos.

The garden was chiefly designed to introduce and cultivate more saline-alkali tolerant plants as a way to reclaim the saline-alkali land, according to Qu Yanchao, director of the bureau for agricultural and rural affairs in the High-tech district in Qidong, a county-level city in Nantong, in eastern Jiangsu province.

Located in Qidong High-tech Industrial Zone in Jinhai town and only 1 kilometer away from the sea, Qidong Halophytes Garden is the first botanical garden in Jiangsu province featuring saline-alkali tolerant plants. [Photo/WeChat account of Qidong Daily]