The 10,000 plum trees in the Plum Wood surrounding the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum are now in full bloom, cloaking the mausoleum in pink and white clouds of blossoms.

The Plum Forest, which covers an area of 100,000 square meters, goes back to the Six Dynasties Period (AD 220-589).

The plum forests in Nanjing's Rain-flower Terrace (Yuhua Tai), Gulin Park and Lishui County are also open to the public.

Float parades, kite-flying contests, and bonsai and ink painting exhibitions will be held during the festival.

The festival will also highlight the municipal government's effort to have Mingxiaoling, the tomb of Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), listed as a World Cultural Heritage Site.

(China Daily 02/26/2001)