Greeting the polychrome spring in blooming SZ

With blossoming flowers, singing birds, and shining sun, Shenzhen is ushering in spring, even though many places in China are still locked in the cold. While this Sunday will mark the beginning of spring, or "Lichun," the first of the 24 solar terms of the Chinese lunar calendar, a wide variety of flowers have already begun to bloom in this subtropical metropolis. In China, admiring spring flowers during the Spring Festival is a century-old tradition. So it's time of the year to head off to the city's many parks and greenways to follow in the footsteps of spring and meet the season's harbingers.

Blooming pink trumpet trees alongside the Central River in Nanshan District’s Houhai area. File photos except otherwise stated

Pink trumpet trees are in bloom along Fuquan Road.

Pink trumpet trees

Pink trumpet trees are in full blossom alongside the Central River in Nanshan District’s Houhai area, heralding the spring with the view of thousands of pink and lavender trumpet-shaped flowers set against the cerulean skies of February. The flowers are also drawing sightseers to Fuquan Road in Longhua District, which is lined with pink trumpet trees that bear masses of pink trumpet-shaped flowers.

Central River in Nanshan District’s Houhai area 后海中心河公园

Metro: Line 2 to Wanxia Station (湾厦站), Exit A and then walk for 20 minutes

Fuquan Road in Nanshan District 龙华区富泉路

Metro: Line 4 to Qinghu Station (清湖站), Exit C1

Cherry blossoms in Xiaosanzhou. Yang Mei

Cherry blossoms

The Mission Hills Ecological Sports Park in Longhua District is holding a cherry blossom festival, which features a total of 1,000 different types of cherry blossom trees. These trees are also bursting pink and white in Fairy Lake Botanical Garden in Luohu District, Xiaosanzhou Greenway in Yantian District, and Julong Mountain Park in Pingshan District. In Shenzhen, cherry blossoms start flowering each year during Spring Festival, and the best viewing time is generally from February to March. The flowering time of a single cherry blossom plant lasts about four to 10 days.

Mission Hills Ecological Sports Park 观澜湖生态运动公社

Metro: Line 4 to Mission Hills Station (观澜湖站), Exit A or B

Fairy Lake Botanical Garden 仙湖植物园

Metro: Line 2 to Xianhu Road Station (仙湖路站), Exit C

Xiaosanzhou Greenway 小三洲绿道

Transport: When arriving at Haishan Road, visitors can scan the on-site QR code or access the WeChat miniprogram“京侨巴士” to buy shuttle bus tickets.

Julong Mountain Park 聚龙山公园

Transport: Bus M443, M497, M571, B675, B761, B938, B951, E17 and M327

Plum blossoms in the Plum Blossoms Park in Futian District. Liu Minxia

Plum blossoms

Appreciating plum blossoms is a poetic thing to do and many places in Shenzhen have plum blossom trees. Among them, the Plum Blossoms Park in Futian District, as well as the plum garden in Maluan Mountain Park, Central Park, Meilin Park, and Meilin Greenway are often visited especially for plum blossom appreciation at this time of the year.

Plum Blossoms Park 梅园

Metro: Line 2 to Qiaoxiang Station (侨香站), Exit C and then walk northward for 1 kilometer

Maluan Mountain 马峦山

Metro: Line 8 to Dameisha Station (大梅沙站), Exit D and then walk northward to climb the mountain

Meilin Park and Meilin Greenway 梅林公园

Metro: Line 9 to Xiameilin Station (下梅林站), Exit D

Central Park 中心公园

Shenzhen Central Park Zone D2 深圳中心公园D2区

Metro: Line 3 or 7 to Huaxin Station (华新站), Exit A2 and then walk westward for 800 meters

Litchi Park 荔枝公园

Metro: Line 3 or 9 to Hongling Station (红岭站), Exit F and then walk to the northwest part of the park

Blooming flame vines in Xiangmi Park. Liu Minxia

Flame vines

Commonly called the Chinese cracker flower, the flame vine usually fully blooms around the Chinese New Year, and is considered as a festive symbol as it carries cascades of bright orange tubular flowers. They can be found in almost every neighborhood across the city and the views can be spectacular in places such as Xiangmi Park in Futian District.

Xiangmi Park 香蜜公园

Metro: Line 7 to Nonglin Station (农林站), Exit C and then walk 400 meters

Camellias a trademark in the Shenzhen International Garden and Flower Expo Park. Liu Minxia

A close-up shot of an elegant white camellia. Yang Mei

Camellias 

The largest growing camellia varieties of Shenzhen are in the Shenzhen International Garden and Flower Expo Park, which boasts nearly 1,000 shrubs that carry exquisite blossoms of every kind. The blooms are white, pink, red, yellow, or streaked, and can be single or double. 

Shenzhen International Garden and Flower Expo Park 园博园

Metro: Line 1, Qiaocheng East Station (侨城东站), Exit A and then walk for 13 minutes

Roses in the rose garden in Xiangmi Park. 

Roses

The rose garden in Xiangmi Park is dubbed Shenzhen's "Monet Garden," where different types of roses are in full bloom now for visitors to enjoy. Featuring a sea of roses, the rose garden is the park’s signature landmark and an ideal place for taking Instagrammable photos.

Xiangmi Park 香蜜公园

Metro: Line 7 to Nonglin Station (农林站), Exit C and then walk 400 meters