The best thing is spring, celebrating the New Year with the fragrance of plum blossoms. Appreciating plum blossoms in early spring has been a must-have item for me in recent years. On February 13, 2021, the second day after the opening of the Shanghai Plum Blossom Festival, I took my wife and children to the Plum Garden of Shanghai Bay National Forest Park to admire plum blossoms. There are nearly 2000 acres of more than 40000 cold plum trees blooming in spring. The scenery is open and suits my liking. The last time I went to the Bay National Forest Park to admire plum blossoms was in February 2016. Five years have passed in a flash, and the terrain path there has been a little fuzzy and forgotten. This revisit deepened the impression and awakened the memory.

Enter the park from Gate 2 of Bay Forest Park and head south along Meiyuan Avenue. Plum blossoms are in bloom on both sides of the road, which is fascinating.

After entering the gate of Meiyuan, you will arrive at the central area of Meiyuan. Follow Meiyuan North Road westward to Tangmei Hall.

There is an old plum tree near the lake of Tanxiang Lake, and red plum trees are already in bud on the branches. It is said that this plum tree is an ancient plum tree from the Tang Dynasty. Of course, it was transplanted to Bay Forest Park from other places. There are antique buildings such as Jin Plum Pavilion, Sui Plum Pavilion, Song Plum Hall, and Chu Plum Pavilion in the Plum Garden of Bay Forest Park, but there are no ancient plum blossoms.

Leaving Tangmei Hall and heading westward along Tanxiang Lake to Chumei Pavilion, five years ago, the merlin in Bay Forest Park was still thin, but now the trees are strong. The merlin on the rolling slopes of the lake has blossomed one after another. The distance is like red clouds and snow fog, which is pleasing to the eye.

Climbing to the third floor of Chumei Pavilion on the top of the slope, you can see the beautiful scenery of Merlin around Tanxiang Lake. The breath of early spring has slowly arrived.

Go down to Chumei Pavilion, stroll along the shores of Tanxiang Lake, and enjoy the scenery of Merlin along the way.

Come to the Jinmei Pavilion on the plum slope on the west bank of the lake and look back at the beautiful scenery of the forest in the distance in the Chumei Pavilion.

Xijin Plum Pavilion, head east along Meiyuan South Road, and see the scenery of plum blossoms.

Arriving at Suimei Pavilion, you can look north to Chu Plum Pavilion, northeast to Tan Xiangqiao, and Tang Plum Hall. Thousands of plum blossoms are in full bloom, water color and flowers shadow, giving you a unique scenery.

Walk up the Wufu Trestle Bridge in the lake, cross the Tanxiang Bridge, and follow the Hongmei Road northbound. While walking, you can see the beautiful scenery of the Merlin in the east area of Tangmei Hall, making you feel relaxed and happy.

Turn back to Meiyuan North Road and head east to Songmei Hall. The flowering period in the eastern area of the Plum Garden where the Song Plum Hall is located is later, and most of the plum blossoms have not yet bloomed, making it a bit bleak and deserted. When I arrived there five years ago, it was also the same bleak scene. It must not be until the end of February and early March that there would be a lively scene of plum blossoms in full bloom.

Unconsciously, I wandered in the Plum Garden for nearly three hours. Go west along Linxiang West Road, exit Meiyuan and go west along Xiangzhang North Road to the western area of Bay Forest Park. The 6500-acre Bay Forest Park in the core open area is divided into two areas: the east and the west. The Plum Garden in the east is a seasonal open area, only when plum blossoms are in bloom in early spring. The western region is an area that can be visited all year round. There are 580 acres of Bainiao Lake, 300 acres of Wisteria Garden, 500 acres of Cherry Garden, 300 acres of Peony Garden, etc. Five years ago, I only went to Plum Garden and didn't go to the western area of Bay Forest Park. I made a special visit this time. However, in early spring, the scenery in this area was bleak because wisteria, cherry blossoms, and peonies had not yet arrived. Therefore, I only stopped for a moment on the north bank of Bainiao Lake, and then returned to Plum Garden. I went out of Gate 2 to bid farewell to Bay Forest Park and ended my plum appreciation trip.