Xiamen: "aerial flower galleries" decorate the city

Bougainvillea flowers blossom gorgeously in Xiamen, southeast China's Fujian Province. (People's Daily Online/Chen Bo)

Xiamen's unique feeling of romance is largely attributed to its city flower, the bougainvillea. Recently, many overpasses and pedestrian bridges in Xiamen, southeast China's Fujian Province, are covered with the vibrant and colorful flower. Appearing from afar like "aerial flower galleries", the flower-covered bridges add vitality and freshness to the city.

In 1986, Xiamen designated the bougainvillea as its city flower. Known for its strong vitality and wide adaptability, the flower has a long flowering period and comes in a variety of bright colors. The bougainvillea is widely cultivated across the city, especially in the Xiamen Botanical Garden. The Xiamen Botanical Garden houses over 400 varieties of the flower, and has been designated as a national bougainvillea germplasm resource bank.

(Intern Li Jingyan contributed to this story.)

Bougainvillea flowers blossom gorgeously in Xiamen, southeast China's Fujian Province. (People's Daily Online/Chen Bo)

Pedestrians roam in the sea of bougainvillea flowers. (People's Daily Online/Chen Bo)

Bougainvillea flowers are in full bloom in Lianban, Xiamen, southeast China's Fujian Province. (People's Daily Online/Chen Bo)

Butterflies feed on the nectar of flowers. (People's Daily Online/Chen Bo)

Photo shows cascading flowers alongside the pedestrian bridge. (People's Daily Online/Chen Bo)

Bougainvillea flowers on a pedestrian bridge burst into bloom like a waterfall pouring down.(People's Daily Online/Chen Bo)

Photo shows cascading flowers alongside the pedestrian bridge. (People's Daily Online/Chen Bo)

Photo shows blooming bougainvilleas in Xiamen, southeast China's Fujian Province. (People's Daily Online/Chen Bo)

Photo shows blooming bougainvillea flowers in Xiamen, southeast China's Fujian Province. (People's Daily Online/Chen Bo)

An "aerial flower gallery" witnesses the hustle and bustle of the city in Xiamen, southeast China's Fujian Province. (People's Daily Online/Chen Bo)