Originally planned to go to Tengchong, Yunnan to visit Ginkgo Village this season. As a result, due to the epidemic, Beijing City stipulated that anyone who had lived in 51 counties and cities with land borders was not allowed to enter (return to) Beijing. This included Tengchong City, and had to revise its plan. I heard from someone that the cherry blossoms in Wuliang Mountain in Nanjian County should be in bloom at this time of year. You can go and have a look.

It is said that Kunming is a spring city. But in Yunnan, the first place where cherry blossoms bloom is in Wuliang Mountain. Wuliang Mountain belongs to the remnant of Yunling in the Hengduan Mountains, stretching eight to ninety kilometers from north to south. The main peak, Bijia Mountain, is 3376 meters above sea level, and most peaks have an average altitude of about 2000 meters. It is still a hilly area on the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau. Perhaps many spectators find the name of this mountain familiar when they hear it. By the way, Duan Yu, who is described in the martial arts novel "Eight Parts of the Dragon" written by Mr. Jin Yong, is looking for the secret of freedom and meets his immortal sister Wang Yuyan in Wuliang Mountain.

Our car started from Kunming, got off the highway at Xiangyun County, and turned into the mountains along the mountain road. We are here today not to find any secret tricks, but to find the earliest spring in China. During this season, most areas in the north are covered with ice and snow. Here, cherry blossoms compete to bloom in early December every year. In the past, the cherry trees here were scattered next to Tianbian Courtyard, which was not spectacular. Twenty years ago, a Taiwanese boss funded and contracted more than 10,000 acres of barren hills and slopes in a ravine and began to grow Taiwanese oolong tea. Plant thousands of cherry trees among tea trees. The original purpose was to let the cherry trees shade the tea trees in summer and block wind and rain in winter. As a result, something happened unintentionally, and the boss's tea market was not optimistic, but the cherry blossoms in December became a place for tourists to check in on Internet celebrities. So this place is called the Wuliang Mountain Cherry Blossom Valley. There are many places to admire cherry blossoms in China, such as the campus of Wuhan University, Yuantouzhu in Wuxi, and Yuyuantan in Beijing, but they all bloom before and after the Qingming Festival and are not as large as here. The cherry blossoms here bloom in early December. And the number is pleasing to the eye. There is also a major feature of the scenery here. The beautiful lines of the tea tree ridge under the cherry blossom trees and the green tea leaves set off the pink cherry blossoms. Standing under a cherry blossom tree, you can carefully admire the petals and stamens of the cherry blossoms. If you stand high, it is best to fly a drone, and you will see clusters of cherry blossoms in the entire tea garden, which is spectacular.

Currently, two viewing areas have been opened in Cherry Blossom Valley, and a universal ticket system is implemented. Admission is 50 yuan for adults, half for people over 60 years old, and free for people over 70 years old. I heard that Cherry Blossom Valley is developing a third viewing area, and friends who will visit in the future will have another viewing spot. The entire mouth of the Cherry Blossom Valley faces east. Taking photos against the light on the observation deck in the early morning should be very beautiful. We stayed here for one night, but the weather was so bad that we couldn't capture this beautiful shot. The most difficult thing to do when traveling is to watch flowers and leaves. Due to differences in climate every year, the best viewing period will change. For most ordinary tourists, they can only aim at an approximate time. We arrived in Cherry Blossom Valley on December 5th, and the flowers were about 50% in bloom. How can travel be completely satisfactory? Just ask for half satisfaction when flowers bloom.

Postscript, after leaving Wuliang Mountain, we wandered around northwest Yunnan for two weeks before returning to Kunming. Cherry blossoms only bloom on the streets of Kunming. There is a cherry blossom avenue near Haigeng Dam in Kunming, and there are also many cherry blossoms there. It's just that for special reasons this year, there are not many tourists on the street.

There is a huge flower trading center in Dounan Town, Kunming. 70% of the flowers sold every day across the country come from here, and some are exported to Japan, South Korea and Southeast Asia. 80% of the flowers traded come from Yunnan, and the rest come from neighboring provinces and neighboring countries. The entire trading center covers an area of 1020 acres and a construction area of 810,000 square meters. Moreover, the flower trading center is closed 24 hours a day. In the morning, individual customers buy flowers and shop, in the afternoon, a special session for bulk wholesalers, and in the evening, flower auctions are held. Twenty years ago, every household in this area was a flower farmer who planted roses, but today such a huge flower trading market has been formed. I just couldn't believe it was impossible to do it. When you come to Kunming, Dounan Flower Trading Center is worth a visit.