Spring usually arrives early in the south of the country. This seems especially true for Liuzhou in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.

Many kinds of bauhinia flowers "take over" the city in March and April, burying the streets mostly in lavender and adding a soft touch to an otherwise industrial landscape.

Liuzhou is known for its beautiful gardens among similar cities, and the local government has been striving to find a balance between economic development and environmental protection over the years. The efforts seem to have paid off. Liuzhen has managed to pack in tourists from near and far, with its blossoms.

Bauhinia flowers "take over" Liuzhou in March and April, burying the streets mostly in lavender and adding a soft touch to an otherwise industrial landscape. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]

The city proposed to transform itself into a "garden city" in 2012. To date, it has planted approximately 270,000 bauhinia trees, the most among other industrial cities in the country, according to the city government.

The flowers fully bloom in the city around Tomb Sweeping Day, which was on April 5 this year.

So far, Liuzhou has spent approximately 1.3 billion yuan to develop more than 280 green development projects, which cover 60 urban roads, more than 20 parks and 12 hilly areas.

More than 8.6 million trees and shrubs of 60 varieties, including the ginkgo, camellia and purple magnolia have been planted in the last few years.

The goal is to turn Liuzhou into a perennially green city by creating a year-round blossom scene and enable the public to enjoy nature the way it should be enjoyed.