Osmanthus trees at Hangzhou Guibo Garden are pruned into rounded shapes. [Photo/Tide News]

Hangzhou Guibo Garden's osmanthus trees are in full bloom, drawing visitors to its fragrant groves. Located in Xianzhai village, travelers can reach the garden in about 10 minutes from the Xianzhai toll station on the S43 Hangzhou Ring Expressway West.

The garden covers about 27 hectares and contains more than 14,000 osmanthus trees, including over 8,000 pruned into rounded, mushroom-like shapes. Its popularity highlights how improved transport links can turn expressway traffic into tourism and support rural development.

At the Xianzhai toll station, a service point offers visitors maps, information on local attractions, and local agricultural products from eight nearby villages. Travelers can also receive discounts at participating businesses by presenting their expressway travel records.

The Hangzhou-Shaoxing section of the expressway is within a 30-minute drive to three cultural landmarks: the Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City, Jingshan Temple, and Pingyao Ancient Town. In the five days after the National Day holiday, peak average daily traffic on the mainline approached 20,000 vehicle trips, with visitors from outside Hangzhou accounting for more than 60 percent of vehicles.

The city will continue integrating transport, tourism, and rural development to improve public services and benefit local communities.