Jilin azalea festival scheduled for May

The Dalongwan Scenic Area of Longwanqun National Forest Park in Jilin province will be endowed with fresh azaleas from May 1 to 31, according to a press conference on April 18.

It was announced that the Jilin Longwan Wild Azalea Tourism Festival would be held for the 12th time, this time with the slogan "Ecological Longwan and Red Travel". The opening ceremony will take place on April 30.

As spring approaches, azalea will become a mainstay of the local scenery, as it is often one of the first plants to bloom in the spring and early summer, when other flowers are just starting to wake up from winter dormancy.

In May, visitors to Longwan will begin seeing spectacular clusters of bell-shaped flowers in white, pink, red, and yellow, complemented by large leathery green leaves.

"Red" tourism, the term used to describe visits to prominent sites from China's revolutionary period, will also be a key component of the festival, according to the organizing committee. The Jilin Longwanqun National Forest Park is a provincial patriotic education center that treasures "red" tourism attractions. It has partnered with the CPC Huinan county committee and the Huinan government to build cemeteries for revolutionary martyrs, "red" cultural experience halls, memorial squares, and historical paths.

Also being planned is a scenic photo exhibition, a media tour for travel journalists, and a flash mob. This combination of culture and tourism is expected to help accelerate local socioeconomic development and build an environmentally friendly society, said an official.

The site will offer various ticket discounts during the event, including free admission for national-level model workers from Jilin and a 50 percent discount for tour groups organized by travel agencies and other "red" tourism groups. Other tourists will enjoy a 75 percent discount, according to the organizer.

The Jilin Longwan National Nature Reserve, which has a total area of 15,061 hectares, is located in Huinan county, Tonghua city, in the middle of Longgang Ridge at the northwestern foot of the Changbai Mountain. Its biodiversity and great natural environment has been celebrated by the tourism festival for many years, with the forest wetland around Longwan Crater Lake being particularly popular.

Jilin Longwanqun National Forest Park, located inside the nature reserve, is a national 4A eco-tourism scenic spot that offers recreation, forests, wetlands, scientific investigations, and "red" education. It covers an area of 8,102 hectares.

This year's event is sponsored by Jilin's forestry and grassland bureau and culture and tourism department. It was organized by the Tonghua government, Huinan county government, and Jilin Longwan National Nature Reserve Administration.