After the season’s first snowfall in Wuhan, Hubei Province in central China, Plum Mountain at Mulan Flower Valley was draped in a blanket of white. The 20-hectare site and its some 10,000 plum trees bloomed amid the snow, drawing visitors to the expansive garden for winter views.

Snow accumulations of 5 to 10 centimetres left icicles clinging to branches, their clear formations set against pink, white and bright red blossoms. The 20 hectares of slopes are planted with dozens of plum varieties now competing in bloom; the sight of snow-laden branches and bursting flowers gives the gardens an unexpectedly bold, untamed character.

This season’s flowering arrived almost a month earlier than last year and coincided with Wuhan’s first snowfall of 2026. Snow covering the sea of plum trees, the faint fragrance of the blooms, and sudden flashes of red against the white have combined to create a striking winter scene that has become a new local attraction.