Tourists ride a sightseeing train through a sea of rapeseed flowers at a scenic spot in Wuyuan County, east China's Jiangxi Province, March 23, 2025. (Photo by Li Zongxian/Xinhua)

As spring sweeps across most parts of China, temperatures are rising and people are eager to embark on journeys to witness stunning floral spectacles.

The growing popularity of flower-viewing tourism has given a vibrant boost to the springtime economy, with modern technology playing an important role in driving this trend.

Adding Vibrancy

From late March to April, vast fields across China's countryside are carpeted in vibrant yellow rapeseed flowers, creating breathtaking landscapes.

Social media comes alive with photos of people adorned with flower garlands, celebrating the season's charm. However, the yellow blossoms in east China's Jiangxi Province are part of a colorful display, with cherry pink, peach red, snow white and light purple blooms coming together as if painted by nature's palette.

These multicolored flowers are the result of 11 years of research by Fu Donghui, a professor at Jiangxi Agricultural University. His team has cultivated a wide range of species in 75 different colors.

The widespread popularity of "bloom chasing" photos online years ago made Fu realize that the sea of rapeseed flowers had the potential to become a signature tourism resource. However, the single yellow color could lead to aesthetic fatigue, limiting the industry's growth.

Since 2014, Fu has used genetic engineering and hybrid breeding to create new colors, such as introducing the purple gene from radishes into rapeseed flowers.

Combo photo taken on March 24, 2021 shows cole flowers of different colors in an experimental field at Jiangxi Agricultural University in Nanchang, east China's Jiangxi Province. (Xinhua/Peng Zhaozhi)

The tech-enhanced blooms have revitalized local tourism, transforming scenic spots featuring the colorful rapeseed flowers into popular photography destinations. Visitors flock to these vibrant landscapes, feeling as if they have stepped into a real-life version of Monet's Garden.

Fu's team has forged cooperation with over 100 scenic spots for scientific demonstration planting, boosting rapeseed flower-themed tourism in over 20 provinces.

These genetically engineered flowers offer more than just a visual feast. They make real contributions to the industrial economy, as they have been proven to yield higher rapeseed production as well as oil output.

Rapeseed is one of China's primary oilseed crops, with its annual planting area and total production ranking among the highest globally. It has long been used in agriculture, providing oil, food and ingredients for cosmetics.

According to Fu, innovative beauty products derived from the multicolored flowers, such as hand creams and facial masks, have already made their way into the market, showing the commercial potential of the research.

Aerial Adventure

This year's flower fever is blending with the latest tech trends. In addition to the traditional flower-viewing walks, visitors to Chengdu, the capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, can opt for a more thrilling experience with low-altitude sightseeing.

Tourists can board fixed-wing aircraft or helicopters, soaring just a few hundred meters above the ground to take in sweeping views of the vast floral landscapes.

The air module of XPENG's flying car AEROHT conducts a flight demonstration at Liuye Lake Tourist Resort in Changde City, central China's Hunan Province, March 27, 2025. (Xinhua/Chen Sihan)

Despite waiting five hours due to airspace restrictions, a tourist surnamed Zhao said her 10-minute helicopter ride last week at the local club Flight Now was still a "worthwhile experience."

The club said that on weekends, the number of daily flights can reach 30 to 40. Beyond aerial sightseeing, there is also a growing demand from tourists for hands-on aircraft operation experiences.

Data from the leading e-commerce platform Meituan showed that the number of merchants launching "helicopter ride" and "sky-high tour" services on the platform increased by 106 percent year on year, and the number of group purchase orders for such low-altitude flight services surged by more than 280 percent.

Airports in cities like Chengdu and Shenzhen have also tapped into the flower-themed tourism market since March, launching more routes for flying over blossoms.

The low-altitude flower phenomenon is more than a fresh lens to appreciate nature. It is a trend of modern tourism that integrates cutting-edge aviation with scenic exploration. Fancy flying vehicles, such as electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles, and future-oriented aircraft, are poised to open new air routes across China, pioneering the next chapter of aerial tourism.

In the city of Tianshui in northwest China's Gansu Province, visitors can now board an eVTOL aircraft and enjoy a low-altitude flight at 300 meters to view the 1,600-year-old Maijishan Grottoes, which adds futuristic vibes to heritage exploration.

Hefei-based Zero Gravity Aircraft Industry Co., LTD has designed a spacecraft-like unmanned electric flying vehicle called the ZG-ONE, a star product that consistently attracts attention at exhibitions across China. It is specifically aimed at low-altitude tourism and short-distance travel.

State-owned giants like the Aviation Industry Corporation of China are also entering the market, developing civil airships such as the AS700 for scenic tours.

China recently made public a plan on special initiatives to increase consumption, highlighting the orderly development of low-altitude consumption sectors, including low-altitude tourism, aviation sports, and consumer-grade drones.

Zhao Deli, founder of the Chinese flying car company XPENG AEROHT, said that the policy will infuse new vitality into the development of the low-altitude tourism market, promoting a strategic reallocation of resources toward this sector.

"This includes accelerating infrastructure construction, attracting greater capital investment, and encouraging increased consumer participation," Zhao said. 

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