As warmer weather ushers in floral blooms, tourist destinations across China are stepping up efforts to attract visitors with cultural events and local specialties.
At the Badaling section of the Great Wall in Beijing, blooming peach blossoms have reached their peak, painting the landscape in vibrant pink hues.
As the city embraces the beauty of spring, authorities launched a series of seasonal festivities on Wednesday under the theme "Blooming Beijing," featuring 214 flower-viewing areas and 163 ecological and cultural events across the Chinese capital.
The activities offer visitors a vibrant spring experience in the city, featuring exhibitions, guided tours, and a variety of events centered on food, shopping, entertainment, and sports.
"We aim to use flowers as a medium and parks as a platform to continuously enhance the services offered in parks and diversify consumption scenarios. This allows the public to not only enjoy the beautiful scenery and admire the blossoms but also to have varied consumer experiences. We are striving to create a 'garden economy' that becomes a new trend and a new form of consumption," said Hao Baogang, director of the landscaping and greening bureau of Beijing's Chaoyang District.
"You can truly feel the spirit of spring at this time. And here on the boat, you can not only admire the beautiful scenery but also take a moment to grab a selfie and enjoy some afternoon tea. This kind of experience is simply wonderful," said a visitor named Zhang Shanshan.
Beyond Beijing's springtime spectacle, other regions across China are also bursting with seasonal beauty. In Wuhu City, east China's Anhui Province, rising temperatures have ushered in the full bloom of hundreds of hectares of rapeseed flowers, drawing crowds eager to take in the sweeping golden landscape.
Scenic spots across China welcome visitors with vibrant spring blooms
Iran's Minister of Science, Research and Technology Hossein Simaei-Sarraf on Saturday condemned the United States and Israel for attacking Iranian academic institutions and research facilities, saying that more than 30 universities across the country have been directly targeted since the war started in late February.
The official made the condemnation when speaking to reporters at the site of the damaged Shahid Beheshti University in the Iranian capital Tehran.
Simaei-Sarraf said five university professors and more than 60 students had been killed in the strikes so far, describing attacks on Iranian infrastructure as "crimes against humanity."
Those killed include Saeed Shamghadri, an associate professor at the Iran University of Science and Technology. "Since the war started, five university professors, including Professor Shamghadri, and more than 60 university students have been killed. As I mentioned before, more than 30 universities in Iran have been attacked. It is unbelievable that in an era when democratic values, rights, international law, and human rights are being promoted, the most obvious of these rights are being trampled, violated, and attacked," said Simaei-Sarraf.
An U.S.-Israeli air raid hit the laser and plasma research center of the Shahid Beheshti University on Friday, destroying the interior of the entire building and shattering all the windows. The force of the strike also shattered almost all the windows on another building about 100 meters away from the explosion site.
A researcher at the university said it is incomprehensible that such a facility could become a target of attacks.
"You can see that there's neither any military personnel or military activity here. This is a place where only research was being conducted. Why did it become a target of attacks? What was the motive for this crime?" Azimi, the researcher, said in an interview with China Media Group.
Since the U.S.-Israeli strikes against Iran started, the Iranian government has repeatedly denounced the two countries for targeting the country's academic institutions and research facilities, calling such attacks serious war crimes.
Iranian official condemns U.S.-Israeli strikes on universities
