The Plum Blossom Festival at the Ming Dynasty City Wall Relics Park invites visitors to view some of China's most beautiful and traditional blossoms. [Photo:CRI]

Some trees feature vivid pink flowers at the Plum Blossom Festival. [Photo:CRI]

The flower season has arrived in Beijing, with the Plum Blossom Festival at the Ming Dynasty City Wall Relics Park attracting visitors to view some of the first blossoms of spring.

The festival began on March 15 and will run until April 15. Some trees are already covered in fragrant blossoms, but around March 27, all of the nearly 1,000 trees in the park should be in full bloom. Tree blossoms range in color from white to a vivid pink.

The blossoms are a popular spring activity for photographers, but people of all ages come to the park to enjoy the blossoms. Upon arriving at the park, there were several dozen people strolling on the pathways, enjoying spring sunshine, and taking pictures of trees.

One mother held her toddler son near some branches, encouraging him to take a sniff of the fragrant buds. "The flowers are very beautiful," she said. "I really enjoy coming here in the spring."

A young couple posed under a heavily blossomed tree, taking turns snapping photos. "I've only seen the blossoms on television, so I'm happy to finally see them today," the young man explained, adding that the beauty of plum blossoms against the city wall was like a scene from the Ming dynasty.

In addition to plum blossom-viewing, several other activities are being held in the park. In support of the government's push for a low-carbon lifestyle, there are about a dozen large signboards in the eastern side of the park educating visitors on how to live an environmentally-friendly lifestyle.

Other signs throughout the park detail traditions involving plum blossoms. One sign explained that women traditionally give plum blossoms to their crushes. The word for "blossom" in Chinese is similar to the word for "matchmaking," so plum blossoms are supposed to boost romance.

March 25 to 27 are the prime plum blossom viewing days. The park will hold several competitions during that time, including poetry, photography, and plum blossom drawings.