Visitors to the Shanghai Botanical Garden in east China's Shanghai City were recently surprised when they found winter jasmine flowers blooming. The plant, which usually blooms in early spring, attracted many plant lovers and shutterbugs anxious to witness its early arrival.

Winter jasmine is a shrub that produces bright-yellow flowers from around February to April. Since it blooms earlier than most of the spring flowers, it is called Yingchun in Chinese, which means "the flower that welcomes spring."

Winter jasmine is native to China and grows in the provinces of Gansu, Shaanxi and Yunnan, among others. The plant has a cultivation history of more than 1,000 years in China and is known for its high tolerance of the cold. The ancient Chinese named the winter jasmine and three other flowers, plum flower, narcissus and camellia, the Four Friends of Snow.

Valued by people for its showy flower and beautiful fragrance, winter jasmine is a popular choice for gardeners. If you want to grow one, you can plant it in full to partial sunlight with well-drained soil. 

You can also determine whether to make it a shrub or a vine and prune it accordingly. If you simply hope to get some colorful flowers during the Chinese Lunar New Year, remember to visit the flower market ahead of the new year in China and get a pot for yourself.

(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at nature@cgtn.com.)