Spring blossoms
As one of the most important festivals in the Chinese calendar, Qingming, also known as Pure Brightness Festival or Tomb Sweeping Day, falls on April 5 this year.
Started in the Zhou Dynasty (1,046 B.C. -256B.C.), Qingming is held to remember loved ones and ancestors. People visit family graveyards to clean tombs and pay respect to the dead by bringing offerings of food, wine and paper resembling money.
Falling in early spring when temperatures start to rise, rainfall increases and crops and flowers begin to blossom the festival also has close ties with agriculture and is a seasonal symbol.
The festival is a chance for families to join in the custom of "taqing", spring outings, where people get out and about to enjoy the change in seasons.
China Daily photographed people enjoying the outdoors to share with readers.
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A baby swan swimming with her mother in Yuanmingyuan Park, Beijing, attracting tourists on March 8. Li Wenming / for China Daily |
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Bird owners displaying their beloved pets in Bozhou, Anhui province, on March 18. March is a best month for singing birds to showcase their talents. Liu Qinli / for China Daily |
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Pupils sketching cole flowers in Rice Field Park, Anren, Hunan province, on March 21. Bai Yu / Xinhua |
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Two tourists relaxing in Zhuozheng Garden, Suzhou, Jiangsu province, on March 22. Wang Jianzhong / for China Daily |
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Photographers trying to catch a glimpse of a kingfisher in Yuyuantan Park, Beijing, on March 28. Feng Yongbin / China Daily |
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Girls jumping for joy on a bridge covered with peach blossom in Xuyi, Jiangsu province. Zhou Haijun / for China Daily |
(China Daily 04/07/2014 page6)
