Editor’s note:
Spring is in full swing, which is great news for flower lovers. From adorable trumpet-shaped flowers to delicate cherry blossoms to undulating yellow rapeseed flower carpets, flowering plants adorn Shenzhen all year around, but more prominently in this season. It’s not difficult to find a small sea of flowers in this city with 1,260 parks, and these colorful buds are even ubiquitous along busy streets amid all their hustle and bustle. This series, “Shenzhen in Bloom,” will give a glimpse of these picturesque places to celebrate abundance as well as beauty in the natural world of Shenzhen.
Bougainvillea, the city flower of Shenzhen, reflects the ethos of the city in almost every way. Its blooms, which come in purple, red, orange, white, pink and yellow, radiate youth, passion and enthusiasm. Its strong adaptability to the environment conveys a message of strength and resilience, just like the traits shared by the Shenzhen people. It is also a very vigorous flowering plant with a particularly long flowering period. Actually, in Shenzhen it blooms almost all year round, echoing with the diligence and high productivity of the Shenzhen people.
This floral emblem of Shenzhen blooms in almost every corner of the city, creating marvelous spectacles even in places beyond expectation. Perhaps the most romantic scene credited to this plant is in Shenzhen International Garden and Flower Expo Park, where bougainvilleas carrying pink and white flowers are now in full bloom. Lianhua Hill Park, which has been hosting the city’s annual bougainvillea shows since 1999, has a large variety of bougainvilleas. Even a six-story parking building outside the Fairy Lake Botanical Garden is fully adorned with blossoming bougainvillea flowers on the façades of each floor, resembling a giant layered cake. Bougainvilleas are also very common in roadside green belts and in residential communities. Many balconies have bougainvillea blooms. A resident of Liantang Village in Luohu District planted some bougainvilleas in 2003, which now produces a 26-meter-tall cascade of bougainvillea blooms on the façade of the eight-story apartment where the resident lives.
①Shenzhen International Garden and Flower Expo Park
Venue South Area, Shenzhen International Garden and Flower Expo Park, Futian District (福田区园博园南区)
Metro Line 1, Qiaocheng East Station (侨城东站), Exit A and then walk for 13 minutes
②Lianhua Hill Park
Venue Lianhua Hill Park, Futian District (莲花山公园)
Metro Lines 3 or 4 to Children’s Palace Station (少年宫站), Exit F1
③Liantang Village
Add Alley 6, Liantang Village, Luohu District (罗湖区莲塘村六巷)
Metro Lines 2 or 8 to Liantang Station (莲塘站), Exit D and then walk south for 400 meters
④Fairy Lake Botanical Garden parking building
Metro Line 2 to Xianhu Road Station (仙湖路站), Exit C3 and then walk north for 600 meters
Residents stroll through an ocean of bougainvillea blossoms in Lianhua Hill Park in Futian District. Lin Songtao
A woman dressed up in traditional costume poses for photos besides bougainvillea blooms in Lianhua Hill Park in Futian District. Lin Songtao
Lianhua Hill Park, which has been hosting the city’s annual bougainvillea shows since 1999, has a large variety of bougainvilleas. Lin Songtao
Residents admire bougainvillea blossoms in Lianhua Hill Park in Futian District. Lin Songtao
Bougainvilleas carrying pink and white flowers at the Shenzhen International Garden and Flower Expo Park attract throngs of visitors. Lin Min
Bougainvilleas at the Shenzhen International Garden and Flower Expo Park are now in full flower. Lin Min
A resident carrying his pet bird on his shoulder takes photos of blooming bougainvilleas at the Shenzhen International Garden and Flower Expo Park. Lin Min
Visitors take photos of bougainvillea blooms at the Shenzhen International Garden and Flower Expo Park. China News Service
Residents pose for photos with bougainvillea blooms at the Shenzhen International Garden and Flower Expo Park. China News Service
Bougainvilleas at the Shenzhen International Garden and Flower Expo Park are now in full flower. File photo
Bougainvilleas at the Shenzhen International Garden and Flower Expo Park are now in full flower. File photo
Bougainvilleas at the Shenzhen International Garden and Flower Expo Park are now in full flower. File photo
Blooming Bougainvilleas are very common in Shenzhen's roadside green belts.
Even a six-story parking building outside the Fairy Lake Botanical Garden is fully adorned with blossoming bougainvillea flowers on the façades of each floor. File photo
The six-story parking building outside the Fairy Lake Botanical Garden resembles a giant layered cake. File photo
The parking building outside the Fairy Lake Botanical Garden. File photo
A 26-meter-tall cascade of bougainvillea blooms in Liantang Village in Luohu District. File photo
Lianhua Hill Park, which has been hosting the city’s annual bougainvillea shows since 1999, has a large variety of bougainvilleas. Sun Yuchen