SUZHOU, in east China’s Jiangsu Province, is a city well known for its resplendent gardens, winding canals and beautiful scenery. Now, adding to the city’s famed beauty is Shangfang Mountain National Forest Park’s Hundred Flowers Festival. The immense park on the outskirts of the city is showing off its crop of spring flowers from now until mid-May, and the multitudes of burgeoning blooms are indeed breathtaking to behold.

Immediately inside the main entrance of the park, visitors are greeted by vast expanses of green dotted with vibrant blossoms bursting forth from the earth and trees alike. Flourishing fields of flora are divided by stone pathways for visitors on foot or in one of the pea-green trams ferrying visitors between the park’s various sites. I was met inside this very entrance by one of the park’s employees, Wu Danfeng, who shepherded me on my journey along the park’s gently winding pathways. Our first stop was the main attraction of the festival — the first of several groves of pristine, white cherry blossoms.

The dark wood of the branches contrasts boldly with the sea of snowy petals, creating a magnificent juxtaposition that practically begs to be captured by a poet’s pen or an artist’s brush.

While I would have been content to stand enraptured by the dreamlike spell cast by these wonders of the botanical world, Wu had many more of nature’s secrets to show me.

Despite her youth, Wu, much like the rest of her colleagues, is filled to the brim with knowledge of the park, as well as deep insights into the subtle science of the botanical arts. According to her, many of the park’s trees are late-blooming cherry blossoms that have opened much earlier than anticipated.

Determining when the flowers will deign to wake from their winter slumber is perhaps the biggest challenge for the park’s staff. Aside from determining dates for events, every inch of the park must be painstakingly planned for maximum loveliness. Even the seemingly random patches of amethyst-colored weeds were orchestrated by the park team — in fact, they’re not weeds at all, but Chinese violet cress, Wu informed me.

The team is constantly making improvements to the park. Along the wooded path heading southward, the staff recently planted a row of cherry blossom trees extending the length of the path.

Also new this year are the kid-friendly attractions; these include a 3D-printing booth in the southernmost corner of the park and peek-a-boo paintings of animals and cartoons found painted on various trees by local artists in eco-friendly paint.

Rare wonders

At the end of the sylvan portion of the southern path, we came to a tall stone platform, upon which sits a temple-like structure that houses rare and non-native potted plants specially cultivated for display in the park’s protection program. This program is designed to give visitors a chance to view more exotic plant species. The plants are stored in the park’s flower room until they bloom, at which time they are brought out for display. If the plants begin to wilt or become damaged, the staff take them back to the flower room and nurse them back to health.

The simple construction and appearance of the temple façade reveals nothing of the tumultuous eruption of color and fragrance within. Lush leaves and winding vines from all corners of the world decorate the small space, creating a botanical paradise for plant enthusiasts. Among the rainbow of natural wonders were a variety of tropical orchids in vivid shades of green, purple and white; vermilion lady’s purses with saffron fringe, and a carnivorous pitcher plant which will digest any small insect unfortunate enough to venture into its maw. I was enchanted by the wonders of nature that decorated the space and, again, found myself agape at all the park has to offer.

Once I tore myself away from the protection program, we returned to the southern path, which led to another copse of cherry blossom trees. Opposite these trees is a picturesque pond surrounded by weeping willows, with a barbecue and children’s play area to one side. From here, we continued down the main path, passing a large open field, which Wu says is covered with tents and picnic blankets during the weekends. Here friends can reunite, and parents can relax while their children scamper about.

The path then forks in two different directions. One way leads to an arbor-covered walkway, overhung with a thick canopy of wisteria vines that flower in summer, their violet blooms and luxuriant leaves adorning the path like bunches of grapes dangling from the vine. The other path leads past a golden sea of field mustard that ripples in gilded waves with every gust of wind. The former also leads up to the park’s pagoda, which was originally built by Buddhist monks during the Sui Dynasty (AD 581-618); while the latter leads to the park’s southern gate, where the park is currently undergoing construction to merge with the nearby zoo.

While the southern portion of the park is larger and home to more natural scenery, the northern side of the park offers a variety of historical attractions. Hang a left from the main gate and stroll up to the Zhiping Temple, an apricot-colored structure with white detailing. After taking in the intricate detail of the Buddha statue, pass through the temple to admire the massive gingko tree on the other side, which, come fall, drops leaves that are the same apricot hue as the temple walls. From the gingko tree, head left to see a courtyard where artists and poets would unite to talk and gain inspiration from their surroundings.

In this second courtyard, there is a building housing a replica of a Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) study, with a painting depicting scholars at work.

After returning to the gingko tree, head straight and take either path to end up at the Stone Buddha Temple, where a group of devout elderly women still gather every day to worship. From there, continue on to the northernmost corner of the park, the location of a courtyard constructed in honor of Fan Chengda, a scholar who did extensive studies on plum blossoms and their uses. As such, the courtyard is decorated with plum blossom trees. Grandparents will often bring their grandchildren here to touch the hand of Fan’s effigy, in the hopes that they will perform well on their tests, just as Fan himself did when he took the exam to become a government official.

After visiting these historical sites, I exited from the northern gate with a much greater appreciation for Chinese garden culture and the miracles of a Chinese spring. I also marveled at China’s unimaginably long history, preserved in the ancient structures that still exist in the park. Even if you are unable to make it to the park for the ongoing festival, you should put Shangfang Mountain National Forest Park on your travel list — it’s worth a visit, no matter what time of year.

Dates: Through May 15

Address: 47 Hengyue Rd, Hengtang Village, Wuzhong District, Suzhou

Tel: (0512) 6292-5889

Opening hours: 7am-4:30pm

Admission: 40 yuan (US$6.17)