Live Your Best Lives
Everything about spring is gentle: the warm breeze, the newly green trees, the sunlight on your shoulders as you walk down the street—this is probably how spring feels like to you. Taking advantage of this sweet early spring, stroll through the south of the Yangtze River and see pink, white, and purple flowers blooming all over the world.
The most beautiful expectations for Yangzhou are all in the fireworks month of March, when you can feel the passing of time in the slow city; the small town life in Xinghua is leisurely and comfortable, and the endless rapeseed fields are unforgettable in my mind; the encounter with cherry blossoms at Yuantouzhu, the best description I can think of is probably as beautiful as first love; April in Nanjing is also my favorite, and I can always find surprises in the corners that I usually ignore.
Yangzhou is a city that is perfect for a gentle breeze and early spring. Only in April, when catkins are flying, can Yangzhou's graceful beauty be fully revealed.
This quiet, central Jiangsu city is easily experiential even on foot. Compared to ancient Yangzhou, it has lost the grandeur of "a man with a fortune of a hundred thousand taels of gold, riding a crane down to Yangzhou," and the glitz of "a ten-year dream of Yangzhou, earning a reputation as a fickle brothel dweller." Today, it has returned to a peaceful state, yet it's not simple, especially during the fireworks season in March, when Yangzhou is at its most vibrant.
The most distinctive feature of Geyuan Garden, apart from the bamboo garden, is the rockery and stone stacking art with the theme of the four seasons. The rockery of the four seasons, "spring, summer, autumn and winter", has its own characteristics and unique charm. Walking here, you can see the changes of the four seasons.
In addition to the flowers and plants all over the garden, every window and every eaves of the garden are filled with the graceful style of Jiangnan, and the spring is hard to hide.
Tips:
About Geyuan:
(1) Opening hours: 8:00-16:30
(2) Ticket price: Peak season: 45.00 yuan, Off-season: 30.00 yuan
(3) Recommended duration: 1-2 hours
(4) Recommended season for visiting: All seasons
Slender West Lake, sometimes wide and sometimes narrow, is lined with lush trees and boasts ancient and diverse gardens. If you haven't visited Slender West Lake, you haven't been to Yangzhou. Its gardens are among the most magnificent in the world. And in spring, Slender West Lake is awash with flowers, each vying for splendor. Embrace the spring breeze, follow the fragrance of the blossoms, and enjoy the springtime.
Like a belt around the Slender West Lake, it is a well-deserved landmark of the lake. Renowned bridge expert Professor Mao Yisheng once commented: "The oldest bridge in China is the Zhaozhou Bridge, the most magnificent is the Lugou Bridge, and the most beautiful and artistically representative bridge is the Five Pavilion Bridge in Yangzhou."
Tips:
About Slender West Lake:
(1) Ticket price: 100 yuan in March, April, May, September, October, and November; 60 yuan in February, June, July, and August; 30 yuan in January and December
(2) Opening hours: 07:00-17:30
(3) Delicacies: Crab shell yellow, radish crispy cake, shredded chicken roll, tofu roll, four-happiness dumplings, scallion crispy cake, etc.
(4) Festivals: Every year from April 8th to May 8th, there is the "Slender West Lake Flower Show", there are also spring orchid exhibitions, summer lotus exhibitions, autumn chrysanthemum exhibitions, and winter double plum exhibitions.
Xinghua, formerly known as Zhaoyang and also known as Chushui, boasts a long history. Over this long period, it has gradually developed a distinctive water town culture, a veritable land of fish and rice. In spring, it is dubbed the "most beautiful rapeseed flower sea," with thousands of acres of water-covered rapeseed flowers and fields a breathtaking spectacle.
Xinghua has thousands of rapeseed flower fields. “The river has thousands of bends with clear water, and every pile of rapeseed flowers in the fields is covered with yellow flowers.” Perhaps no other place can combine rapeseed flowers and waterscape so perfectly.
Here, you can take a wooden boat to travel through this "Land of Ten Thousand Islands", smell the fragrance of flowers, look at the endless sea of flowers, forget your worries, and leave behind the story of spring in this small town.
Tips:
About Qianduo Rapeseed Flower Scenic Area:
(1) Flowering period: mid-March to mid-May
(2) Scenic spot tickets: Qianduo Scenic Area 100 yuan + Cruise 50 yuan
(3) Opening hours: 7:00-17:30
(4) Food: Xinghua local cuisine, such as braised bean curd sheets with green vegetables, braised taro with lentils, and scrambled eggs with chives.
Take a raft trip to appreciate the beautiful scenery of the water town where "there is water in the forest - Metasequoia and fish jumping; there are birds in the forest - treetops, beneficial birds gathering and hundreds of birds singing", and feel the ecological elegance. The most beautiful thing here in spring is probably the February orchid on the water, a dreamy purple fairy tale world.
Tips:
About Lizhong Water Forest:
(1) Opening hours:
8:00-17:30 (Summer)
8:00-17:00 (winter)
(2) Tickets:
Single ticket: 50 yuan
Ticket + rafting: 80 yuan
The cherry blossom blooms for a short time, taking about seven days from opening to withering. The cherry blossom symbolizes life, happiness, a lifetime, and never giving up.
Yuantouzhu is a must-see cherry blossom viewing destination in spring. At peak bloom, the ten-mile stretch of cherry blossoms transforms into a pale pink ocean. A gentle breeze rustles the petals, sending them caressingly down the slopes, a gentle, otherworldly scene.
It's said that cherry blossoms fall at a speed of five centimeters per second, landing gently in our hearts. So leisurely, yet so calmly, how fast should we find love? Someone in our hearts, like this grand yet lonely shower of cherry blossoms, slips away quietly, leaving behind an eternal memory in the depths of time.
In addition to cherry blossoms, there are many other flowers here in spring, waiting to bloom in your camera.
Tips:
About Yuantouzhu:
(1) Ticket: Yuantouzhu original price is 105 yuan; this ticket includes the boat ride fee
(2) Opening hours: 8:00-17:00
(3) Traffic information:
Bus: Take K1 or K87 from the East Square of Wuxi Railway Station
Self-driving: From Wuxi: Wuxi Airport - Airport Road - National Highway 312 - Turn right at Gaolang Road - Turn right at the end of Gaolang Road to Baojie Bridge - Turn left to the gate of Yuantouzhu Chongshan
Why do I love hydrangeas? I often ask myself this question. The answer is probably simple: one afternoon in high school, I stumbled upon a hydrangea tree. It was my first time imagining such a wonderful flower. I wiped the dust off the tree sign, and the words "hydrangea" have been etched in my mind ever since. Perhaps it's something to do with my youth, so the memory remains fresh.
In Nanjing, the hydrangeas in Wuchaomen Park are in full bloom in April, attracting countless people to enjoy the flowers. But apart from this "hot spot" for hydrangeas, I also have a secret base for flower viewing (shh, come and I'll take you there!)
The Meridian Gate, the southern gate of the Ming Dynasty's Forbidden City in Nanjing, was located at the meridian, hence the name. It is now located in Nanjing's Wuchaomen Park, across from the ruins of the Ming Dynasty's Forbidden City, the site of the actual imperial palace. Today, though its heyday has faded, the busiest time of year is around April, when the hydrangeas bloom, attracting photographers, tourists, and strollers alike.
The hydrangea symbolizes hope. Native to the Mediterranean, hydrangeas are renowned for their blooming in the harsh winter. Their blossoms, slowly turning from green to white, seem to herald the approach of spring. Their auspicious shape and name are incredibly romantic, bringing hope to many. Strolling among the hydrangeas in beautiful April will surely lift your spirits.
I found the popular photography check-in spot on Ruijin Road!
Often, because of a photo, a song, or a dish, I will search all over the city for that part of my heart. The city walls here are ancient and romantic. When you climb up and look down, the eastern suburbs of Nanjing with an excellent view come into view. This is the Nanjing I like, that's right.
In Wuchaomen Park, in addition to the singing birds and the fragrance of flowers, there are uncles who play cards and walk their birds here all year round, and occasionally there are aunts who dance with swords. In short, this place is full of the flavor of life in the ancient capital of the Six Dynasties.
In addition to hydrangeas, wisteria in April is also eye-catching. There are several places in Nanjing where you can enjoy wisteria: the extremely literary and artistic Yihe Road, the Xuanwu Lake which is most suitable for strolling, and the major universities in Nanjing, which are hung with purple romance and are very suitable for relaxing the body and mind.
Wisteria symbolizes intoxicating love, lingering thoughts, and your persistent romance. These light purple colors add to the beauty of early April.
In the sweet early spring, I take you south with me. Will you miss the scenery and flowers of Jiangnan? Gathering all these spring flowers, just thinking about it, is very gentle.
