Under the blossoms, a village blooms

Once facing rural decline, Xinghua village in Hubei province now thrives through agritourism, e-commerce, and community-driven ecological reform.

Chen Meimei, a 26-year-old from Shiyan, Hubei province, recently spent a weekend in Xinghua village in Danjiangkou, less than two hours away. She arrived just in time for the village's annual "Three Blossoms Festival", which celebrates the blooming of apricot, peach, and rape flowers — and the experience was unlike any she'd had before.

"All the orchards I'd visited in the past only allowed daytime tours, but Xinghua village offered nighttime strolls through the blossoms," she said. "The gentle evening breeze carried the fragrance of the flowers, which looked even more beautiful under the starlight."

Chen also stayed in one of the village's lodges nestled in the middle of an apricot orchard.