'Flower tours' blossom across China

A CRH high-speed train drives through the apricot flower sea in Beijing's Juyongguan Great Wall, April 5, 2015. [Photo/CFP]

A travel agency in the eastern city of Wuxi told Xinhua that high-speed trains to scenic spots famous for spring flowers have become a hit in recent weeks. Tour packages offer journeys spanning from three to five days at prices ranging from 1,000 to 2,000 yuan ($150 - $300).

The upcoming Tomb-sweeping Day holiday, which will be observed from April 2 to 4 this year, will be prime time for plant-loving tourists to catch rapeseed flowers in bloom, said Zhang Liang, manager of the travel agency.

Farmers in Wuyuan, a county in east China's Jiangxi famed for its sea of rapeseed flowers growing in terraced fields, will welcome tourists into guest houses and restaurants, which have become their main source of income.

In neighboring Hunan province, millions have been invested in planting rapeseed flowers at a local scenic spot in Zhangjiajie city. Foreign and domestic tourists, photographers and couples shooting wedding photos have swarmed the spot this month.

According to the provincial government, roughly 400,000 tourists made "flower trips" in the first quarter of the year, generating revenue of more than 100 million yuan.