Recently, the inaugural Beijing Chaoyang Garden Festival - Crabapple Blossom Festival, themed "Garden City, Beautiful Chaoyang" kicked off and will run until April 17.

On the opening day, the 24th Crabapple Blossom Creek Festival at Yuan Dadu City Wall Ruins Park officially commenced, with 28 varieties of crabapple trees, including crabapple of the western mansion, snowball crabapples, and jelly crabapples, gradually releasing their fragrant blossoms. As a branch venue of the Crabapple Blossom Festival, the crabapple trees on both sides of the Wangjing crabapple blossom creek are about to bloom, inviting citizens and tourists to visit and take photos.

With 28 varieties of crabapples in bloom, the flowering period will last until the middle and late April.

Every year around Qingming Festival, the banks of the Xiaoyue River in the Yuan Dadu City Wall Ruins Park are adorned with colorful crabapple blossoms, stretching 1.1 kilometers, hence named "Crabapple Blossom Creek." Crabapple blossoms have become the park's signature theme flower, ranking among the top three flower events in Beijing alongside the cherry blossoms in Yuyuantan Park and the peach blossoms in the Botanical Garden.

The Crabapple Blossom Creek not only features common crabapple varieties such as  crabapple of the western mansion, venus crabapples, snowball crabapples, weeping crabapples, jelly crabapples, and stick-stem crabapples but also introduces new superior varieties such as louise, chunxue, pink roof, and pink handkerchief. The park boasts a total of over 5,000 crabapple trees of 28 varieties, making it the largest crabapple garden in Beijing, with the flowering period lasting until the middle and late April.

During the Crabapple Blossom Creek Festival, citizens and tourists can not only enjoy the diverse crabapple blossoms but also participate in cultural activities related to crabapples. "During the Crabapple Blossom Creek Festival, we have created a spring feast that integrates 'exhibition, tourism, dining, shopping, entertainment, and fitness,' catering to the needs of visitors of all ages," said a representative from the Chaoyang District Greening and Gardening Bureau.

In the National Style Cultural Exhibition and Interaction Zone, boats carrying images of crabapple fairies glide through the Crabapple Blossom Creek. The cultural and creative market gathers beverages and delicacies related to crabapples, where visitors can enjoy crabapple-flavored tea, taste authentic snacks, and indulge in crabapple-flavored ice cream. The cultural and creative crafts zone showcases intangible cultural heritage handicrafts such as bamboo weaving, stone carving, and wood carving. In the mini flower market, special crabapple bonsai and seasonal flowers adorn the spring scenery, allowing visitors to admire the flowers and learn cultivation knowledge and techniques. Additionally, the festival sets up multiple photo booths for visitors to take pictures.

The 4-kilometer-long Wangjing Crabapple Blossom Creek becomes a hotspot for online celebrities' check-ins.

As a branch venue of the Crabapple Blossom Festival, the Wangjing Crabapple Blossom Creek has also attracted many citizens and tourists.

Located on the southeast side of the Wangjing Street along the Wangjing River, adjacent to the Jingmilu(Rd) and the Airport Expressway, the Wangjing Crabapple Blossom Creek completed its river and surrounding environmental renovation and upgrade in July 2022.

Stretching about 4 kilometers along both banks of the Wangjing River, crabapples, and peach blossoms vie for attention, attracting many citizens and tourists for sightseeing and photography. The Crabapple Blossom Creek has become a landmark for Wangjing's characteristic natural landscape and a hotspot for online celebrity check-ins. In early April last year, the daily number of visitors reached tens of thousands.

During the Crabapple Blossom Festival, the Wangjing Street will hold a mass stage event at the Crabapple Blossom Creek, where community art enthusiasts will present programs such as choir singing, dancing, and model shows for citizens and tourists. The event will also invite students from the Central Academy of Fine Arts and local studios to sketch by the Crabapple Blossom Creek and depict the beauty of spring together.

This year, several parks in Chaoyang District will also launch a series of creative and innovative garden cultural activities under the theme of "Garden City, Beautiful Chaoyang", combining the "one garden, one flower, one product" characteristic garden creation approach.