Wintersweet flowers at Oriental Bonsai Garden in Changxing county, Huzhou, East China's Zhejiang province. [Photo/hz66.com]

Wintersweet flowers at the Oriental Bonsai Garden in Changxing county, Huzhou, East China's Zhejiang province recently entered the peak flowering period.

The wintersweet, a native Chinese flower, has a strong scent and blooms in late winter or early spring. It is often referred to in China as one of the "three friends of winter", along with pine and bamboo.

The flowering period at Oriental Bonsai Garden, which is home to more than 10,000 wintersweet trees, is expected to run through the Spring Festival, during which performances including dragon dance and hanfu show will be staged.