Cherry blossoms at East Lake Cherry Blossom Park, Wuhan, China (© Zhang Qiao/VCG/Getty Images)

From above, East Lake Cherry Blossom Park in Wuhan, China, looks like a soft lilac cloud settled gently over the land. Thousands of cherry trees bloom at once, their pale petals forming a living canopy around a golden five-story pagoda at the park's heart. The pagoda rises in calm symmetry, its tiered rooflines glowing against the delicate pastels of spring.