Cherry blossoms attract tourists to tea garden in SE China's Fujian

Photo shows cherry blossoms in a tea garden in Yongfu town, Zhangping, a county-level city administered by Longyan city, southeast China's Fujian Province. (People's Daily Online/Li Changqian)

In a tea garden in Yongfu town, Zhangping, a county-level city administered by Longyan city, southeast China's Fujian Province, tens of thousands of cherry trees of 42 varieties are in full bloom, drawing crowds of visitors.

This landscape of cherries and tea trees is a vivid testament to cross-strait integration. The story began in 1997, when Xie Dongqing, a farmer from Taiwan region, planted his first tea seedling here. What started as an ecological experiment, interplanting cherry trees to improve the tea garden environment, unexpectedly established the site as "China's most beautiful cherry blossom destination" thanks to its vast scale, prime viewing season and stunning scenery.

Xie's success drew fellow Taiwan farmers, who followed suit and launched their own ventures in Yongfu town. Now, 86 Taiwan-funded enterprises have settled here, with over 600 Taiwan businesspeople taking root in the town. Annual high-mountain tea production reaches 1,600 tonnes, with an output value exceeding 1.5 billion yuan (about $217.05 million), creating jobs for more than 10,000 local residents.

From a simple tea plantation to a tourism destination where cherries and tea trees coexist, the tea garden has become a bridge for cross-strait exchange, testifying to the vitality of the region.

The upcoming Spring Festival will mark the perfect viewing period for the cherry blossoms in the tea garden, Xie said, expressing his hope that everyone's life will be as bright as the blooming cherry blossoms.

Photo shows cherry blossoms in a tea garden in Yongfu town, Zhangping, a county-level city administered by Longyan city, southeast China's Fujian Province. (People's Daily Online/Li Changqian)

Photo shows cherry blossoms in a tea garden in Yongfu town, Zhangping, a county-level city administered by Longyan city, southeast China's Fujian Province. (People's Daily Online/Li Changqian)

Photo shows a scene of a tea garden in Yongfu town, Zhangping, a county-level city administered by Longyan city, southeast China's Fujian Province. (People's Daily Online/Li Changqian)

Photo shows a bamboo-woven horse in a tea garden in Yongfu town, Zhangping, a county-level city administered by Longyan city, southeast China's Fujian Province. (People's Daily Online/Li Changqian)

Tourists clad in Hanfu pose for photos under cherry blossoms in a tea garden in Yongfu town, Zhangping, a county-level city administered by Longyan city, southeast China's Fujian Province. (People's Daily Online/Li Changqian)

Farmers prune tea trees in a tea garden in Yongfu town, Zhangping, a county-level city administered by Longyan city, southeast China's Fujian Province. (People's Daily Online/Li Changqian)

Farmers work in a tea garden in Yongfu town, Zhangping, a county-level city administered by Longyan city, southeast China's Fujian Province. (People's Daily Online/Li Changqian)

Photo shows cherry blossoms in a tea garden in Yongfu town, Zhangping, a county-level city administered by Longyan city, southeast China's Fujian Province. (People's Daily Online/Li Changqian)

Photo shows cherry blossoms in a tea garden in Yongfu town, Zhangping, a county-level city administered by Longyan city, southeast China's Fujian Province. (People's Daily Online/Li Changqian)

Photo shows cherry blossoms in a tea garden in Yongfu town, Zhangping, a county-level city administered by Longyan city, southeast China's Fujian Province. (People's Daily Online/Li Changqian)

Tourists enjoy cherry blossoms in a tea garden in Yongfu town, Zhangping, a county-level city administered by Longyan city, southeast China's Fujian Province. (People's Daily Online/Li Changqian)