SHANGHAI — After unusually warm weather descended on eastern China earlier this week, Shanghai residents dodged the sun’s rays by extending their annual sakura photo shoots well into the night.
The result was an almost-carnivalesque atmosphere that could be felt across the city. At Gucun Park, revelers in full cosplay drank coffee and snapped selfies underneath augmented-reality trees — part of the park’s immersive “Butterfly and Blossom” exhibit. At Chenshan Botanical Garden, visitors took advantage of extended hours to eat hot pot and wander the grounds, which seemed to glow against the night sky. And at Century Park, residents kept cool by snapping up sakura-flavored ice cream.
Even after a spring storm washed away many of the blossoms Thursday morning, the crowds were still enough to make one visitor wonder aloud whether anyone in the city still had a job.
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Here are some of the best photos from a city in bloom, as selected by Sixth Tone.
Residents take in the sight of cherry blossoms at night in Gucun Park, Shanghai, March 26, 2025. Wu Huiyuan/Sixth Tone
People admire the cherry blossoms in Gucun Park, March 26, 2025. Wu Huiyuan/Sixth Tone
Left: A resident poses for a photo under the Tyndall light installation; right: A cosplayer takes photos in Gucun Park, March 26, 2025. Wu Huiyuan/Sixth Tone
A couple admire the cherry blossoms in Gucun Park, March 26, 2025. Wu Huiyuan/Sixth Tone
Cherry blossoms at Gucun Park in Shanghai, March 26, 2025. Wu Huiyuan/Sixth Tone
Cosplayers take photos in Gucun Park, March 26, 2025. Wu Huiyuan/Sixth Tone
Cosplayers take photos in Gucun Park, March 26, 2025. Wu Huiyuan/Sixth Tone
Visitors take photos under a cherry blossom tree outside Fudan University, March 26, 2025. Ding Yining/Sixth Tone
The entrance of a subway station near Hongkou Football Stadium in Shanghai, March 26, 2025. Chen Yiru for Sixth Tone
Crowds file in and out of Shanghai’s Wenshui Road subway station after work, March 26, 2025. Wu Huiyuan/Sixth Tone
A resident works at a café near the Shanghai Natural History Museum, March 26, 2025. Wu Huiyuan/Sixth Tone
Residents admire cherry blossoms near the Shanghai Wenshui Road subway station, March 26, 2025. Wu Huiyuan/Sixth Tone
Left: Cherry blossoms near Hongkou Football Stadium in Shanghai, March 26, 2025; right: Residents admire cherry blossoms near the Shanghai Wenshui Road subway station, March 26, 2025. Wu Huiyuan and Chen Yiru for Sixth Tone
Visitors take photos of cherry blossoms in Lu Xun Park, March 27, 2025. Ding Yining/Sixth Tone
A dog becomes the center of attention at a park in Shanghai, March 26, 2025. Zhu Weihui for Sixth Tone
Left: A man takes a photo of his dog on a cherry blossom tree, March 25, 2025; right: A cosplayer takes photos with cherry blossoms near Hongkou Football Stadium in Shanghai, March 24, 2025. Wu Huiyuan/Sixth Tone, VCG
Photography enthusiasts take pictures from an overpass near the Wenshui Road subway station, March 26, 2025. Wu Huiyuan/Sixth Tone
Contributions: Qian Yi, Chen Yiru, and Ding Yining.
