Harvesting the fragrance The Yili River Valley in Xinjiang autonomous region becomes a sea of purple fragrance in late summer, as workers set about the back-breaking task of harvesting, by hand, what has now become the world's third-largest lavender crop.

Turpan grapes to dazzle residents of Changsha Turpan's local grape festivals, for the first time this year, will be held outside of its Xinjiang cradle.