The best place for tulip flower viewing: Kunming, Yunnan province

The best time to go: February to March

Daguan Park in Kunming boasts 80,000 tulips, including rare species introduced from countries all over the world. The park, neighboring Kunming's trademark tourist site Dianchi Lake, is a main venue for local events such as lantern fairs. It is within a 15-minute drive from downtown Kunming.

The best place for plum blossom viewing: Gushan, Hangzhou, Zhejiang province

The best time to go: February to March

Plum blossoms are in full bloom at Gushan Mountain at the foot of which the famous West Lake unfolds. Hiking to the top of Gushan Mountain and enjoying the landscape amid the fresh scent of plum blossoms has been a traditional way to celebrate the coming of spring in Hangzhou city since ancient times.

The best place for cherry blossom viewing: Alishan Mountain, Taiwan

The best time to go: February to April

Alishan Mountain in Taiwan, dressed in its pinky spring finery of cherry blossoms, is welcoming an increasing number of tourists. The sightseeing railway goes through the most amazing sceneries in the mountain, including a tea plantation and a sea of clouds shrouding the mountain range. It is said that many of the cherry trees at Alishan Mountain have been introduced from Japan.