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A woman shaking blossom from a tree at the park in Fuzhou. Internet users have said the women should be fined. Photo: Fznews.com.cn

Tree-shaking Chinese holidaymakers incur wrath for bringing down blossoms

Women shake trees bare in a Fuzhou park so they can take photographs of their children in a shower of petals

When a group of tourists decided their holiday snaps in a Chinese park needed a little something extra, they hit upon a novel way to create some more atmosphere.

The holidaymakers decided that the bright pink blossom festooning the peach trees of a Fuzhou park would look much better fluttering down onto their children's heads, so started vigorously shaking the trees.

But their over-exuberance ended with broken branches - and thousands of web users criticising them for wanton vandalism, according to the city's official news website fznews.com.cn.

While a number of passers-by tried to stop the women, saying they were setting a bad example to their children, the tourists, who were aged from their 20s to their 60s, were unrepentant.

“The flowers were bound to fall at some point,” one told a passer-by.

Reports of the bad behaviour of some tourists often attract criticism on social media in China.

By lunchtime on Monday more than 14,000 people had commented on the story on the news website Sina.com, with most criticising the women.

“The solution is simple. Give them a 500 yuan (HK$630) fine and they’ll never do it again,” wrote one internet user from Guangzhou.

Fznews reported that on the same day members of the public were spotted pulling up flowers at another park in the city.

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