Spring blossoms
| A baby swan swimming with her mother in Yuanmingyuan Park, Beijing, was a hit with tourists. Li Wenming / For China Daily |
| Bird owners displaying their pets in Bozhou, Anhui province. Liu Qinli / For China Daily |
One of the most important festivals in the Chinese calendar, Qingming, also known as Pure Brightness Festival or Tomb Sweeping Day, fell on April 5 this year.
Started in the Zhou Dynasty (c. 11th century-256BC), Qingming is held to remember loved ones and ancestors. People visit family graveyards to clean tombs and pay respect to the dead by making offerings of food, wine and paper resembling money.
Falling in early spring when temperatures start to rise, and crops and flowers begin to blossom, the festival also has close ties with agriculture.
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.
| A student artist sketches in Rice Field Park, Anren, Hunan province. Bai Yu / Xinhua |
| Photographers try to catch a glimpse of a kingfisher in Yuyuantan Park, Beijing. Feng Yongbin / China Daily |
| Pillow mates in Zhuozheng Garden, Suzhou, Jiangsu province. Wang Jianzhong / For China Daily |
(China Daily European Weekly 04/11/2014 page4)
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