Wuxi sows seeds of friendship as cherry blossom event begins

The 2025 Wuxi International Cherry Blossom Festival and the 38th Anniversary of the Construction of the Sino-Japanese Cherry Blossom Friendship Forest kicked off on Wednesday, highlighting Wuxi's international connections and its role as a hub for cultural exchange.

The event, which originated in the 1980s from citizen-level exchanges between China and Japan, centers on the planting of cherry blossom trees. In 1988, Chinese and Japanese citizens planted 1,500 cherry blossom seedlings at the Yuantouzhu scenic area, marking the beginning of the "cherry blossom friendship" between Wuxi and Japan.

Today, the scenic area boasts over 30,000 cherry blossom trees across 650,000 square meters. Since 2014, Wuxi has used the annual cherry blossom planting activity as a platform for international cooperation and local exchanges.