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Peony extravaganza

The 29th Peony Show will be held April 1 to May 10, in Luoyang, Henan province, the former capital of 13 dynasties and widely known as the "peony city".

The city is renowned for its more than 1,000 species of peonies and long history of cultivating and admiring the flower, since as early as the 7th century.

The festival became an annual event after 1983. It is held every spring, when the city is filled with the fragrance of peonies, which the Chinese call the "king of flowers".

Visitors can take in the beauty of various types of peonies, along with the lantern shows, and exhibits of traditional Chinese calligraphy and paintings.

In addition to the peony fair, the city has a number of historical sites such as the Longmen Grottoes and White Horse Temple.

Glorious blossoms - way up high

Spring is indeed the time for flowers, and Tibet's Nyingchi prefecture is always appreciated for its peach flowers set against a stunning background of snowy mountains and deep blue sky.

The 9th Nyingchi Peach Bloom Festival will be held when the flowers are in full bloom, in late March and early April this year.

This differs from the peach blossoms found in eastern China, where the trees were planted by hand, because Nyingchi's peach trees grow wild and are more vigorous.

Visitors can also take part in rafting on the Yarlung Zangbo River, and enjoy the region's culinary delights.

Five kilometers from Nyingchi, Ga La Peach Flower Village is yet another place where you can enjoy the special blossoms.

The festival ends on April 10.

Horticultural creations

An International Horticultural Exposition is being arranged for Xi'an, Shaanxi province, April 28 to Oct 22. The expo will cover a 4.18-sq-km space, with 1.88 sq km of water area. The area for the majority of the exhibitions and sightseeing spots, along with support facilities, occupies two independent circles.

The main building includes the Chang'an Tower, Greenhouse, Theme Pavilion and the Guangyun Entrance.

More than 100 cities and organizations from China and abroad have confirmed that they will take part, and it is expected to attract 12 million visitors.

Visitors will be able to enjoy horticultural creations by major Chinese and foreign artists, as well as watch performances and see rare animals.

Any bird watchers out there?

May is on the way and Qinghai Lake in Qinghai province is gradually seeing life and vitality return to the area, and the best time for bird watching is just around the corner.

It's not such a bad idea to escape the city for a while to admire some scenery and take in the natural beauty of the lake, as well as its various types of birds during the Labor Day holiday.

The best place for this is Niaodao Islet ("niao" being "bird" in Chinese), on the northwestern part of the lake. Locals say that at this time of year the islet has tens of thousands of birds of different types, many of them large migratory fowl from the Pacific and Indian oceans.

Cherry blossoms ring in spring

The annual Cherry Blossom Festival in Yuyuantan Park in Beijing runs until April 28, with more than 2,000 trees set to bloom.

Some of the cherry trees were received as gifts from Japan in the 1970s. The blossoms of 20 species of cherries attract tens of thousands of tourists and photographers every year.

Interesting rock formations, calligraphy works, paintings and photos are also on display in the park during the festival.

1,000-year-old azaleas

The 2011 International Azalea Festival in Bijie will be held April 8 to 22, in scenic Baili Dujuan in Guizhou province.

The area is one of the largest natural azalea areas in the world, covering 12,600 hectares, with more than 40 types of azaleas.

It includes the biggest azalea shrub ever found - the 1,000-year-old "King of Azaleas" that has thousands of flowers.

Cultural performances by the Li, Miao and Bouyei people, along with local snacks, will be available at the festival. Nearby tourism sites include the Huangguoshu Waterfall and Zhijindong karst cave.

It takes three and a half hours to get there by bus from the capital, Guiyang, to Quanxi county, where there is regular bus service for the remaining 27 kilometers to the scenic spot.