Visiting Cherry Blossom Sites

(Cherry blossoms. Courtesy of Nanjing Culture and Tourism Bureau)

With the spring in the air, cherry trees have quietly blossomed across Nanjing. Pink petals float down like snowflakes and dance around in the sky, adding a bright touch of beauty to the ancient capital.

(A corner of Jiming Temple, Nanjing.)

Among major cherry blossom sites in Nanjing, A must-see is the 400-meter-plus-long Cherry Avenue at Jiming Temple. There, the pink-white cherry blossoms sway in the wind against the yellow wall of the temple, appearing archaic yet refreshing. The peak days of cherry blossoms at Jiming Temple are in every mid-to-late March. From the temple to Heping Gate, there is a narrow, long avenue lined with cherry trees. During the flowering season, the avenue would be dotted by cloudy cherry blossoms which, like a galaxy of stars, blend with the ancient buildings at the temple, transporting visitors into a dreamlike wonderland.

(Cherry blossoms at Jiming Temple. Courtesy of Nanjing Culture and Tourism Bureau)

Jiming Temple, one of the oldest, most-visited Buddhist temples in Nanjing, appears unusually primitive and elegant amidst cherry blossoms. The temple is particularly beautiful at twilight when the afterglow of sunset lingers on the "star-studded" cherry trees, creating a spectacular sea of rosy, cloudy blossoms.

(Cherry blossoms at Jiming Temple. Courtesy of Nanjing Culture and Tourism Bureau)

If the cherry blossoms at Jiming Temple have a primitive simplicity, then those at Chaotian Palace are dazzling. Against the red walls and glazed roof tiles, those starry pink blossoms look particularly bright. However, there are only two or three cherry trees at Chaotian Palace. Fortunately, the red walls and green tiles of palace buildings with flying eaves match perfectly with pink-white cherry blossoms dancing between them, presenting a very poetic sight.

(Cherry blossoms at Chaotian Palace.)

On one side of the red palace wall, closely leaning against the railings, pink cherry blossoms against the red wall and gray tiles sway in the wind, looking particularly lovely. In such days, one of the most romantic things is strolling through the ancient buildings within red walls at Chaotian Temple to see cherry blossoms floating down to the ground in front of white walls and on black tiles, having an encounter with a cherry blossom shower.

(Cherry blossoms at Chaotian Palace.)

Another must-see cherry blossom site in Nanjing is the riverside cherry boulevard at the foot of Mufu Hill. This cherry boulevard, 3.5km long and covering about 420,000 square meters, is the best cherry blossom viewing area with the longest stretch of cherry trees, the most profuse blossoms, and the most varieties of flowers in Nanjing. Compared with other sites, this boulevard is more spacious and comfortable with fewer visitors, while offering fantastic views of cherry blossoms along the river and greenway, as well as birds-eye views from Mufu Hill. The foothills, meadows, and riverside are densely lined with more than 5,000 cherry trees which, during the flowering season, constitute a cloudy brocade of blossoms. Myriad clusters of graceful pink-white blossoms, stretching all over the treetops, present a charming sight.

(Muyan Riverside Scenic Belt. Courtesy of Nanjing Culture and Tourism Bureau)

The warm spring sunlight filters down on the meadow through the cracks of cherry blossoms. Looking up, you will be greeted by pink, delicate petals bouncing lightly. People say, the beauty of cherry blossoms lies in the profusion of bright tree-laden flowers and in the romantic shower of petals. On the riverside cherry boulevard where wind blows frequently, visitors can encounter a stunning cherry blossom shower any time. Imagine a flower shower where petals floating around the sky and falling down. What a romantic feast for the eye!

(Muyan Riverside Scenic Belt. Courtesy of Nanjing Culture and Tourism Bureau)

With such a shower of cherry blossoms, the spring in Nanjing tells one of the mos beautiful fairy tales.