Each year, the Chinese come to parks throughout the month of April to admire the cherry blossoms. Yuyuantan Park, on Beijing's west side, remains the best place to discover the Sakura Festival.

Each spring, the Chinese visit parks in Beijing during the Sakura Festival. Yuyuantan Park, on Beijing's west side, remains the ideal spot to enjoy the cherry blossoms festival, initially an ancient Japanese tradition.

Covering an area of 136.69 hectares, the park was already renowned in the Jin Dynasty (1125 - 1234) for its beautiful natural landscapes. It was once called Fisherman's Terrace (Diaoyutai) because an official named Wang Yu disguised as a fisherman sought refuge here. Yuyuantan Park houses around twenty species of cherry trees, almost 2000 trees, given as a token of friendship by Japan to China during the early establishment of diplomatic relations more than 30 years ago.

After their arrival in China, the trees were planted in Yuyuantan. According to Mr. Zhou and Ms. Lu, the park was then very poorly equipped. "We've been coming to this park for 40 years and have seen it keep pace with China's economy," the two retired Chinese workers explain. After pools and lawns, the cherry trees were greeted by these two seniors with a certain joy. "We come to this park each week. We are glad to see spring come with the emergence of this myriad of flowers. The Sakura Festival announces the return of sunny days, and it's so pretty!" they gleefully add.

Purity and innocence

Both retirees do not seem to be the only ones who find these trees romantic. Two young couples have chosen this bucolic setting to capture their wedding photos, and girls pose in Japanese kimonos under the flowered branches. Camera in hand, walkers can also stay hours taking shot after shot from every angle these flowers which evoke purity and innocence and symbolize the feminine Yin in the Chinese imagination.

While the cherry blossoms are still the main attraction of the Sakura Festival, the Chinese parks offer many other attractions. "They are the preferred place of the people who want to relax," says Zhou. "The more affluent people generally have private spaces to relax in. The middle and working classes can be found in the parks practicing many activities," he adds. You'll find children classes, picnicker and couples, not to mention singing schools, dancing troops, musicians and people enjoying sports.

The Sakura Festival usually ends with April, but for the rest of the year, Yuyuantan Park offers other activities like fishing and pedal boats in and on the lake built in 1773 by Emperor Qianlong. You can also enjoy ice skating in the winter. Yuyuantan is also the starting point for a boat ride that will take you to the Summer Palace.

Practical Information:
Yuyuantan Park (玉渊潭公园): Open every day from 6:30AM to 9:30PM in summer and to 8:30PM in winter. The park has two main entrances, one to the east and one to the south. The east entrance is located on Sanlihe street (三里河路). For the southern entrance, you will need to go through the back of the Millennium Museum on Fuxing street: 中华世纪坛艺术馆, 海淀区复兴路9号) Price: RMB 10 for adults.

Text: Edouard Beauchemin
Photos: Wang Zhuo
April 2008