University campuses are usually nice to look at, but rarely do they become attractions in their own right, drawing hordes of ticket-buying tourists.

Wuhan University in Central China's Hubei province is perhaps the only exception, where the crowds descended on every spring for the annual Cherry Blossom Festival.

Wuhan University in Central China's Hubei province is perhaps the only exception, where the crowds descended on every spring for the annual Cherry Blossom Festival. Monday's festival drew record numbers, with some estimating as many as 200, 000 visitors.

Wuhan University rang in their annual Cherry Blossom Festival on March 28th, a bit later than previous years because of the cold weather. But it was good news for visitors who got to take advantage of the 3-day Qingming festival to enjoy the beautiful flowers.

The record numbers hitting the festival on Monday meant heavy traffic jams for the surrounding areas. The big cherry rush has also been attributed to the increasing numbers of Cantonese-speaking tourists heading to the city after the opening of the Wuhan-Shenzhen high speed railway on April 1st.

A tourist said, “I'm from Guangzhou. I came to Wuhan for the blooming of the romantic cherry blossoms by taking the high speed train.”

Every year, the festival attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists looking to enjoy the floral scene, often leading to overcrowding on campus.

Students complain that the crowds interfere with their daily life and studies. “The university should be a sacred place for study. It should be quiet, safe and clean. But the crowds really disturb us every year. We can't accept them psychologically.”

Wuhan University has been carrying out a few measures to tame the crowds, such as charging money for admission to reduce the number of visitors. But it seems 10 yuan is a price most people don't have any problem paying. Other measures are taken to remind visitors to keep the campus safe and clean, but these steps seem to have had little effect. Visitors will have to learn respect for the venue and its facilities before there can be a balance between tourism and campus life.

The cherry blossoms are very beautiful when they are in full bloom. But when you enjoy the beauty of flowers, it's important to keep the campus safe and clean.

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