Guizhou's petal power gears up in spring

Tourists take photos in a field of tulips. [Photo provided to China Daily]

But Tongren is just the tip of Guizhou's booming tourism.

Guizhou and Zhejiang province's capital, Hangzhou, were the only two places in China The New York Times listed among its "52 places to go in 2016".

The province's spring scenery enticed 9.58 million visitors during the recent three-day Tomb Sweeping Day holiday, 30 percent more than during the same period last year.

Tourism income rose 32 percent to 4.9 billion yuan ($758 million).

Guizhou hosts a stunning natural beauty preserved in its karst formations, says the provincial tourism authority's deputy director, Tan Aiying.

And flowers make springtime the most magnificent season.

Some destinations, like Bijie and Zunyi cities, have taken flower-viewing to new heights－in every sense.

Bijie has introduced helicopter rides to view the azaleas, while Zunyi has constructed the province's first mountain-climbing route that's expected to open in May.

Even amateurs can climb up the rock face, using iron handrails and cables. It is one of fewer than 10 such routes nationwide.