The Best Time to Admire Plum Blossoms in 2020 and Recommended Top Plum-Viewing Destinations in China

Since ancient times, scholars and literati have praised the plum blossom in poetry, and its sparse blooms and subtle fragrance have amazed them for hundreds of years. Searching for plum blossoms in the snow has attracted countless people. So when is the right time to admire plum blossoms in 2020? What are the top plum-viewing destinations in China?

1. When is the right time to admire plum blossoms in 2020?

In the cold winter, when all other flowers have withered, only the plum blossom blooms alone, braving the snow and frost. Admiring plum blossoms is different from admiring other flowers, and there is a certain art to it. It is mainly divided into three stages: searching for plum buds, admiring plum blossoms, and seeking fallen plum blossoms. The timing for viewing is different at each stage.

1. Searching for plum buds: This is when you go while the plum buds are still about to open, watching the blossoms gradually grow in the cold wind. It is the scene most beloved by scholars and literati; it is generally best viewed from late January to early February.

2. Admiring plum blossoms: At this time the plum blossoms are open, presenting a magnificent scene of "ten li of plum blossoms, a sea of fragrant snow"; it is generally best from late February to early March.

3. Seeking fallen plum blossoms: This is when the plum blossoms fall in a colorful profusion, leaving people with endless aftertaste; it is generally from late February to early March.

Different regions and different varieties bloom at different times, so it depends on the actual conditions and may vary slightly.

2. What are the top plum-viewing destinations in China?

1. Plum Blossom Mountain (Meihua Shan) in Nanjing

Plum Blossom Mountain in Nanjing is one of the most famous plum-viewing areas in China, with a great variety of plum cultivars. Among them, the Plum King, the Plum Queen, and the Lovers' Plum are the most famous, but the most precious cultivar is “Biejiao Wanshui”, which is truly the finest of flowers for its beautiful color and graceful form. Before you even enter the plum-viewing area, you can smell the subtle fragrance of the plum blossoms. Once inside, you can see red, pink, and white plum blossoms in bloom. When a gentle breeze blows, the subtle fragrance brushes past you, and you can also see the colorful falling petals, which is utterly enchanting.

2. Moshan Plum Garden at East Lake in Wuhan

This plum garden is both a plum-viewing attraction and a center for plum research. Many precious plum cultivars have been cultivated and planted here, and there are also various plum-viewing spots, such as “Lengyan Pavilion”, “Anxiang Bridge”, “Yizhichun Hall”, and “Plum Blossom Climax”, all richly poetic flower-viewing attractions. In the severe cold, the plum blooms before all other flowers, bringing spring to the world alone. The colder it is, the more spirited the blossoms; the more the wind and snow oppress them, the more delicate the blossoms become.

3. Rong Family Plum Garden in Wuxi

The special feature of this scenic area is that plum blossoms are used to adorn the mountain, but it is also because of the mountain that the plum blossoms exist. The plum blossoms appear more elegant against the backdrop of the mountain, while the mountain appears more serene because of the plum blossoms. The scenery here is enchanting and full of the vitality of spring. You can see all kinds of beautiful plum blossoms, so many that your eyes can hardly take them all in, including many varieties of plum blossoms as red as rosy clouds and as white as snow.

4. Dianshan Lake Plum Garden in Shanghai

This scenic area has a great many varieties, as well as ancient plum trees over a hundred years old. Inside the plum garden there is a Lengxiang Pavilion, and an old plum tree of the rare and precious “Yinhong Taige” cultivar is worth seeing. Walking into this plum garden, you can see that against the crystalline auspicious snow, the plum blossoms appear even more charming and elegant. Patches of plum blossoms, with sparse branches adorned with jade-like blooms, burst forth in profusion; some are as brilliantly colored as the morning glow, others as white as auspicious snow, a truly beautiful sight.

The plum blossom has been loved by people since ancient times. In the cold winter, if you feel too stuffy indoors, you can go out to admire the plum blossoms, experience their noble and resilient character, and be inspired to strive upward.