Flower-viewing tourism has taken off this spring as bounteous blooms bend branches in southwest China.
Tens of thousands of hectares of rapeseed flowers have enlightened the fields with a splash of dazzling yellow colors in Luoping County of southwest China's Yunnan Province. The golden sea of rapeseed flowers, set against green hills, offers a stunning backdrop for spring outings, beckoning tourists to witness nature's stunning spectacle.
"I came from Shanghai. The rapeseed flowers here are so beautiful. They took my breath away," said Chen Hongjuan, a tourist.
To enhance the tourist experience, Luoping County has introducing diverse flower-viewing methods, such as riding small trains or electric vehicles and hiking on wooden walkways.
According to data from the local culture and tourism department, since the rapeseed flowers there have entered the blooming season, Luoping has seen 1.35 million visitor trips, which has given a strong boost to the local catering and accommodation sectors.
"Since February, our restaurant has been receiving about 600 guests daily. On busy days, the number can reach around 800 and we can receive a maximum of over ten tour groups in a day," said Yang Liu, a restaurant owner.
Meanwhile, bare branches of plum trees in Dazhou City, Sichuan Province, are now covered with tightly packed clusters of plum flowers, bringing a burst of vitality to the spring season and intriguing countless visitors with the floral fragrance.
Using the spring blossoms as a medium, the local government has also launched various cultural and creative products, special foods, and agricultural products, allowing tourists to experience the unique rural tourism while enjoying the flowers.
Spring blooms boost tourism in China
Iran's official news agency IRNA said on Sunday the country has rejected taking part in the second round of the peace talks with the United States, after U.S. President Donald Trump said new negotiations would take place in Pakistan on Monday evening.
"My Representatives are going to Islamabad, Pakistan -- They will be there tomorrow evening, for Negotiations," Trump wrote in his Truth Social post on Sunday.
Trump also said that the U.S. has offered a "fair and reasonable" deal, and if Iran reject the deal, the U.S. will "knock out every single Power Plant, and every single Bridge, in Iran."
Iran's absence from the second round of talks "stems from what it called Washington's excessive demands, unrealistic expectations, constant shifts in stance, repeated contradictions, and the ongoing naval blockade, which it considers a breach of the ceasefire," IRNA said in a post on its English account on social media platform X.
In another report published in Farsi, IRNA said reports released about the second round of peace talks between Tehran and Washington in Islamabad are "not true."
It described the reports released by the United States as part of a "media game and in line with the blame game" to pressure Iran, stressing that the U.S. "excessive, illogical and unrealistic demands, frequent changing of positions, constant contradictory remarks, continuation of the so-called naval blockade" have so far prevented the negotiations' progress.
IRNA added under the present circumstances, there is "no bright prospect" for fruitful negotiations.
On Feb. 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and several other Iranian cities, killing Iran's then Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, along with senior military commanders and civilians. Iran responded by launching waves of missile and drone strikes targeting Israel and U.S. bases and assets in the Middle East, and exercising tight control over the Strait of Hormuz.
A ceasefire was achieved between the warring parties on April 8, which was followed by lengthy talks between the Iranian and U.S. delegations in Pakistan's capital Islamabad on April 11 and 12. After the peace negotiations in Islamabad collapsed, the United States imposed its own blockade on the waterway.
The Iranian and U.S. delegations were reportedly expected to hold another round of peace talks in Pakistan soon.
Trump affirms new round of talks in Pakistan while Iran rejects
