Where to Spot The Most Beautiful Plum Blossoms in Nanjing

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Without suffering the bone-chilling cold, how could you enjoy smelling the fragrance of plum blossoms?〜Chinese Proverb

不经一番寒彻骨,焉得梅花扑鼻香?

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The past few months have been rather overwhelming for me and traveling during Chinese New Year was one of the things I had to do to be able to process my situation and continue with my life here in China. It hasn’t been easy. I had to switch jobs, questioned my whole China “journey” and made the decision to work as a teacher and move to Korea mid-2015. I needed to get out and be “free” from all the trouble I had to go through. This is why that trip was so important to me. 

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One of the things I had always been wanting to see are fields of beautiful plum blossoms as you can see in Asian movies. Beautiful pink and white trees that seem to be picked straight from a fairytale or Alice in Wonderland! Traveling during Chinese New Year, i.e. the beginning of spring in China, I was able to finally see the beauty of these trees in person!

The plum blossom originated in southern China around 3,000 years ago and has become one of the most famous flowers in the whole of China. It is also known as one of the four junzi (gentlemen or noble ones) often referred to in Chinese art – the other three are the orchid, the chrysanthemum and the bamboo. These have come to symbolize bravery, integrity and modesty. Don’t mistake these beautiful trees with their Japanese counter part: the Cherry blossom!

Where to see Plum Blossoms in China

The first time I saw the blossom trees was in Nanjing at the current “Plum Blossom Exhibit” which is located near the Ming Tombs at the Zhongshan Scenic Area in the east of the city. The ticket is 70 RMB for the exhibit and the Ming Tombs! It’s a place taken right out of a fairytale! Don’t miss it when in the area!

 

Another popular spot to see plum blossoms is the city of Hangzhou in Zhejiang! You can enjoy the beauty of these trees all around the West Lake but the best place to see them is the Botanical Garden on Lingfeng Mountain! The scenic spot features over 10,000 plum trees in more than 80 varieties, including the white, the red, the pink, the green and the cinnabar, which transform the area into what looks like a rich oil painting. Check out this great image from China Daily of the garden from above:

If you are in Shanghai, you can apparently visit Century Park in Pudong New Area to attend the annual plum blossoms festival, which runs until March 31. The Plum Blossom Garden there features thousands of plum trees with their red flowers have turned the garden into a huge rich red natural brocade. From a distance, the garden can look like rosy clouds in a summer sky.

Plum blossoms are definitely a must-see when in China! Don’t miss out and go on a trip, even just for the weekend to see those beautiful trees! I had a wonderful trip chasing the pink trees and discovering places I’d never been before. Now I’m “back in reality” and am preparing myself for the next big adventure.

Have you ever seen Plum Blossoms?