It is the time of the year for the cherry blossom trees in China to bloom and expose its beauty to the world with its pink petals and its graceful appearance. But with beauty comes a price, because it is also the time for local tourists to go see the trees bloom and take pictures.

How are taking pictures affecting these trees? It seems that there are no laws forbidding people from touching the trees, which encourages them to do whatever seems necessary to take the perfect picture.

It has come to the media’s attention that these incidents have been causing damage to the trees and serious backlash were to ensue. According to Toutiao News, recent videos and pictures capture these tourists destroying these natural beauties by ripping off the flowers and breaking branches just to take the best picture. Many people climb the trees to get the most photogenic shots, which ultimately leaves these trees prone to damage. (via Shanghaiist).

Written by Hugh Huynh