The International Plum Blossom Festival of Nanjing kicks off Sunday at Meihua Mountain in Nanjing, East China's Jiangsu province.

The event will last until March 11, during which tourists could enjoy the blossoms and cuisine, visit art exhibitions, and participate in relevant online and offline activities.

Although the plum blossoms were still sporadic up to Saturday, experts said that the flowers are expected to be in bloom at Chinese New Year, also known as Spring Festival, which falls on Feb 16 this year.