petals rained down upon them, and tourists reached for their cameras to capture the scene.

After an ice-and-snow frenzy kept revelers warm throughout the Spring Festival, China has transformed into a land of flowers in the spring. Tens of thousands of people like Zhou came out to enjoy the blossoms across the country.

The 29-year-old woman came especially from southwest China's Sichuan Province to Wuhan, the capital of Hubei, which is renowned for its cherry blossoms. She joined a long queue just after 8 a.m. to enter the East Lake Cherry Blossom Garden, where more than 10,000 cherry trees of over 60 species greet visitors with their fragrance and flowers in full bloom.

I did my research before coming here," she said. "With the new green leaves on some of the trees juxtaposed against the pink and white flowers on others, it's like walking into one of Monet's paintings.  (Xinhua)