Kunming's jacaranda festival brings new chances to 160 local shops

Kunming's Middle Jiaochang Road during the 5th Kunming Jacaranda Cultural Arts Festival.

Since early May, citizens and tourists in Kunming, Yunnan's capital city, have been lured to the Middle Jiaochang Road to appreciate the blossom of tens of thousands of blue and purple jacaranda flowers.

One after another swarms of tourists have brought not merely vitality to the communities nearby, but new business opportunities to those restaurants and stores along the road.

A tourist takes picture of a drink she buys on the festival.

The Wuji Bakery, for example, can earn over 3,000 yuan a day. "I used to sell cakes to the residents around. The money I earned could hardly cover the monthly rent. But As tourists flock to our Middle Jiaochang Road every day, the number of flower cakes I can sell has skyrocketed", says Wu Wenting, a shop owner.

According to Wu, her bakery has created a new cake product with elements of jacaranda this year. "Since the end of the Spring Festival in late January, I've been thinking about creating something new for the customers, because I knew that we will see a tourism boom this year."

A double-decker bus is decorated as per the theme of jacaranda festival.

The popularity of Middle Jiaochang Road as a new tourist destination is closely associated with the promotion of Lianhua Street in Wuhua District.

In order to bring more tourists to appreciate jacaranda blossom and involve in relevant cultural activities, about 160 local shops have been invited to take part in this year's 5th Kunming Jacaranda Cultural Arts Festival.

During the festival, citizens and tourists could not only take a double-decker decorated as per the festival theme, but also enjoy a variety of local snacks as well as live music.

Reporting and trans-editing by Wang Jingzhong (Yunnan Daily)