Fujian's Yongtai county embraces winter plum blossom season with cultural festivity

An elegant affair: The gentle blooming of plum blossoms in Yongtai county. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Since the blooming of the plum blossoms this year, Yongtai has organized a series of special activities to use the plums as a medium linking its unique cultural and tourism resources – such as hot springs, accommodation, villages and scenic spots. 

To enhance the plum-viewing experience for visitors, the county has even launched eight premium plum-viewing routes.

Lin Wei, deputy governor of Gelin township, said that with the development of tourism, every household in the village could now set up stalls to sell agricultural products on their doorstep, providing accommodation and dining services for tourists, with the incomes of farmers typically increasing by about 40-50 percent on average.

Performers wear hanfu, or traditional Chinese garb, during the event. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

In 2024, Yongtai received 15.25 million visitors, up 1.67 percent year-on-year, generating total tourism revenue of around 8.39 billion yuan ($1.15 billion), a gain of 1.62 percent on last year. 

Moving forwards, plans are for the county to hold various activities to drive the high-quality development of the cultural tourism industry.