Every year, from mid-March to early May, the Yuantouzhu Island of China is home to the traditional Cherry Blossom Festival. In the festival, thousands of people from all over the world gather together to marvel at the natural scenery of the island. The island and festival are especially popular with the Japanese people. This is because over time the festival became an act of friendship between the Chinese and Japanese. Moreover, Yuantouzhu Island has over 70 different types of cherry flowers and thousands of trees. Therefore, during springtime when the flowers bloom, the island acquires a gorgeous appearance.
The location of the festival is a sight worth seeing. The island is on the northwest side of Taihu Lake, the third-largest freshwater lake in China. Although many call the region Yuantouzhu Island, it is actually a peninsula. However, since ancient times, people likened the land’s shape to a turtle’s head. Therefore, the locals have always called the area The Turtle’s Head Island.
The story of how the festival became a place of developing Chinese-Japanese relations goes back to the end of WWII. After the end of the war, both countries were in really desperate shape. Moreover, during the war, the Japanese army committed many atrocities in mainland China as well, injuring and killing many. While the relations were tense, Hasegawa Kiyomi, founder of the Cherry Blossom Federation in Japan, sent cherry blossom seedlings to Wuxi City in 1986. Cherry blossom is an important part of the Japanese culture. Therefore, Kiyomi wanted to include the Chinese in the appreciation of the flowers so that both people could come together.
The sending of the cherry blossoms was welcomed by the Chinese. After some meetings, more than 400 Japanese people came to the Yuantouzhu Island. During their stay on the island, they planted 1500 cherry blossom trees together with Chinese locals. Since then, every year, Japanese volunteers have been coming to the island to plant even more trees. Combined with the already stunning nature of the area, the cherry blossoms have made the island even more spectacular. As a result, while the festival celebrates natural beauty, it also celebrates the friendship and collaboration between the two groups as well.
