June marks the flowering season for lavender. Tourists flock to Yili valley in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region each year, the third largest planting base of lavender in the world, following Provence and Furano. /Xinhua

Huocheng County by the Yili valley is famed as "the home of lavender in China." The county has developed a billion-yuan industry through the production of essential oils, dried lavender as well as tourism. /Xinhua

The 37.3 square kilometers of lavender fields in Huocheng County has provided more than 15,000 jobs locally, lifting many out of poverty. /Xinhua