Blossoming cherry trees at a tea plantation in Longyan, China

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Spring in Longyan, China. A day of death and rebirth

Today, places like this nature path in Longyan, China, will be full of families. A springtime walk with loved ones is often part of the Qingming Festival happening today in mainland China and Taiwan, as well as in Chinese communities around the globe. Qingming translates as ‘Pure Brightness’, though it’s also called Tomb-Sweeping Day. It’s a time to honour your deceased ancestors, often by cleaning and decorating their graves and gathering the family together to share happy memories of those relatives. The solemnity is balanced by the arrival of spring, so some Qingming observances include spending time outdoors with family. If the people strolling down that path in our photo today look past the blossoming cherry trees, they’d see row upon row of tea plants.