NANNING, April 8 (Xinhua) -- On a spring weekend, Zhong Zimeng decided on pink before heading out to play a color-hunting game called ColorWalk, scanning for everything pink as she wandered.
After an hour of walking at a riverside park in Nanning, the capital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in south China, pink blossoms, pink benches and a visitor's pink skateboard found their way into her phone's photo album. Following the soothing, mood-healing journey, she posted her latest snaps on social media.
Only then did she realize how many details were hidden in her everyday environment. "I often walk by here," Zhong said, "but by searching for colors, I now see so many scenes I usually missed in the past."
As spring unfolds across China, flowers are painting the season with vibrant colors and breathtaking scenery.
ColorWalk has emerged as a leading outdoor trend this spring in China, with ColorWalk posts popping up across social media like vivid splashes of the season's most eye-catching new colors.
On Rednote, the lifestyle-sharing platform also known as Xiaohongshu, ColorWalk-related topics have drawn 310 million views and more than 1.88 million posts and discussions, as users share their color diaries and exchange snapshots of spring from across the country.
The growing enthusiasm for ColorWalk is not just about fun but also deeper psychological value -- a low-cost mechanism for emotional regulation.
To complete the color exploration, participants need to slow down, quiet their minds, and tune in with nearly all their attention so as not to miss any small detail. By the end of the walk, participants usually find themselves completely immersed in the simple joy of a search for colors.
"The whole process relieves the fatigue caused by fragmented attention and eases tense emotions," said Dai Jian, a clinical psychologist at Jiangbin Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
"In color psychology, green symbolizes vitality and peace. It helps slow down the heart rate, relax tense nerves and quickly ease anxiety, irritability and fatigue," said Dai.
He added that blue tends to feel cool and serene; yellow brings warmth and energy; pink conveys gentleness and sweetness.
Dai said that posting photos online, which involves photo taking and selection as well as text composition, helps to relieve stress and reinforce the sense of calm gained from ColorWalk.
Encouraging people to explore a city on foot and notice its details up close also turns the whole city into an exciting new destination that is just waiting to be discovered.
ColorWalk's growing popularity has prompted tourism authorities and businesses across China to launch recommended routes, such as routes that integrate scenic spots, shops and cultural landmarks along the way.
Lin Shanshan, an associate professor at Zhejiang University, said that the spring economy is moving up from pure sightseeing to composite scenarios of outing and flower appreciation integrated with other activities.
Some local authorities are bundling flower seas with markets, intangible cultural heritage, folk customs, camping, sports events, rural experiences, creative products, and night tours, boosting spending across the entire tourism consumption chain, Lin added.
These efforts align with the broader national strategy. China will implement initiatives to upgrade services to the benefit of consumers, develop a number of new, high-profile consumption scenarios with broad appeal, and move faster to nurture new areas of consumption growth, according to the country's government work report this year.
Huang Huazhao, vice chairman of the Guangxi Artists Association, said that the spontaneous observation and documentation of color subtly sharpens people's sensitivity to color and cultivates their awareness of beautiful details in daily life.
"Everyone can capture color with their eyes and freeze beautiful moments with their cameras. Everyone is an artist in their own life," Huang added. ■
