Students and teachers of Harbin Normal University in Heilongjiang province have been pleasantly surprised in recent days to see a sea of lavender flowers on campus.

Nearly 10,000 lavenders are blooming, filling the air with fragrance.

In May 2017, the university started a project to cultivate new varieties of lavender that can adapt well to the climate in colder regions. After three years of research and experiments, Yuan Zening, an associate professor at the university's College of Life Science and Technology, and her team of around 60 students achieved a breakthrough.

"Based on the original natural and cultural conditions of the campus, we built the lavender-themed landscape lab for teachers' scientific research and student practice," Yuan said. "Also, it's just a way for everyone to enjoy beautiful flowers and good ecological environment on campus."

"Lavender also has high economic value as an ornamental plant and for medicinal purposes," she said, adding that new varieties will be able to survive in cold, alpine areas.