Elderly residents practice tai chi in a park in Yuncheng. SUN RUISHENG/CHINA DAILY

"The historical feel makes the blossoms more interesting," says Beijing resident Yu Weimin, who has just returned from Yuncheng.

"Yuncheng's first impression on me is as the birthplace of many historical figures like Guan Yu, a general under the warlord Liu Bei in the late Eastern Han Dynasty.

"As a Chinese, you kind of grow up with all those stories. There's a certain feeling when you step into those towers you read about so many times in your textbooks."

He also enjoyed the folk dances.

"We're all getting used to living in modern cities with Western styles of working and living. It's fun to occasionally return to traditional Chinese ways."

And people today just like the ancients appreciate the way spring paints the world with leaves and blooms.

Contact the writers through suzhou@chinadaily.com.cn