The 1st Apricot Flower Festival kicks off in Beizhai village in northeast Beijing's Pinggu district on March 31. Beizhai, reputed as the Village of Red Apricot in China, boasts a history of cultivating red apricots for nearly one hundred years. Apricot trees in the village bloom from the end of March till early April, turning the village into a fairy land. [by Ma Pingchuan]