Winter cherry blossoms and a rolling sea of clouds are drawing visitors to Jingmai Mountain in southwest China’s Yunnan Province, where nature and heritage meet in spectacular fashion.

Located in Lancang Lahu Autonomous County, the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site comes alive at dawn as soft sunlight washes over the peaks, transforming drifting clouds into a flowing white ocean. As the mist gradually lifts, hillsides of winter cherry blossoms emerge, their pale pink blooms scattered through tea gardens and lining mountain roads, adding gentle colour to the landscape.

“It is incredibly beautiful, far beyond what I expected… like entering a fairyland,” said Xie Yuying, a tourist from Hunan.

Beyond the scenery, visitors can wander through ancient villages, sample local cuisine and experience the traditions of ethnic minority communities. Inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2023, Jingmai Mountain is famed for its ancient tea forest cultural landscape that was shaped for over a millennium by the Bulang and Dai peoples.

Source: China Central Television