The stirring of life

The grand historian Sima Qian stressed the importance of the beginning of spring in the book Historical Records of Heaven Officials, and people at the time attached great importance to it. The emperors of the Zhou Dynasty went to the suburbs to greet the Spring God, and the ritual they inherited must have originated from the previous dynasty. People wait outside reverently to welcome spring, a custom that has survived to this day.

A season for the recovery of all things and the blooming of flowers. Shangrao, Kunming, Yangzhou and Hangzhou are among the most popular tourist destinations to feel the warming embrace of early spring. Wuyuan county, in Shangrao, Jiangxi province is a must-go-to place. In middle and late March, the pink peach blossoms and the white pear blossoms are dotted among the golden rapeseed blossoms all over the mountains and fields. Hiding among the flowers, trees and hills, white walls stand in a sharp contrast to the gray tiles and brown windows. The Hui-style architecture enhances the setting. The breeze blows the golden waves, overflowing with an intoxicating and rich fragrance.