New China Archive

China in the 2020s

Wenhua College

Wenhua College, in the Hongshan district of Wuhan, is known for its red maple trees which it imports from North America. Every autumn, the school holds a Red Maple Festival and thousands of people flock to campus to take photos.

This photo shows students walking under North American red maple trees in Wenhua College in Wuhan, China. (2020)
Chinese students walk under the North American maple trees in Wenhua College in Wuhan (2020).
This photo shows students walking under North American red maple trees in Wenhua College in Wuhan, China. (2020)
Chinese students walk under the North American maple trees in Wenhua College in Wuhan (2020).
This photo depicts a Chinese surveying student at Wenhua College in Wuhan, 2020.
A surveying student practices under the main teaching building of Wenhua College in Wuhan, PRC.
This photo shows students walking under North American red maple trees in Wenhua College in Wuhan, China. (2020)
Chinese students walk under the North American maple trees in Wenhua College in Wuhan (2020).
This photo depicts the ivy covered library of Wenhua College in Wuhan, China.
Ivy envelops the library of Wenhua College in Wuhan, China (2020).

So much of Chinese society now revolves around social media, and the importance of taking photos has increased dramatically in recent years. Social media is now the primary way in which most Chinese people interact with each other. Because of this, the red maple trees of Wenhua have become an online phenomenon.