Pulse

Spring is blooming marvelous

By Daniel Garst (China Daily)
Updated: 2011-05-04 08:01

With a plethora of parks, Beijingers can get the most out of this fleeting season

When family and friends back in the United States ask what I dislike most about Beijing winters, I mention not only the prolonged and bitter cold, but also the absence of snow. Thanks to its normally dry weather pattern, which has been accentuated by an epic drought, the city gets just one or two light dustings of snow a year.

Heavy snowfalls would snarl the already horrible traffic, but having the city covered by a soft white blanket of snow would lend a touch of magic. As it is, from late October to March, the capital takes on a bleak gray hue.

Hence, April is special not just for its warm weather, which provides an all-too-brief window between the chill and sweltering summer heat, but also marks an end to the long winter drabness, as the blooming shrubs, trees and flowers signal the return of life and color to Beijing.

One obvious place to catch this visual splendor is the Beijing Botanical Garden. While it has the largest variety of flora to be found in anywhere in the city, the garden is also difficult to get to, as it is well beyond the subway's Line 1 and requires an entire day to explore.

Moreover, Beijing's blooms come out sequentially, so I prefer spending my April weekend morning or afternoons enjoying the succession of spring colors in more easily accessible parks. Each one of these parks has its own special kind of April color and other attractions; visiting them is the perfect way to get outdoors and rid oneself of cabin fever.

My first stop is Ritan Park during the Tomb-Sweeping Day holiday, when the forsythia, flowering peach and white magnolia in the southeast begin to fully bloom, transforming this area into tapestry of gold, scarlet red and white. The warmer weather also brings people back to the recreation center in the park's northeast corner, which boasts a climbing wall. Those of us not into clambering up vertical spaces can still enjoy watching the climbers, particularly the ones tackling the most challenging of the three routes to the top.

Early to mid-April is also cherry blossom time. The best place to appreciate these special blossoms is the grove of cherry trees in the small ravine at the north end of Yuyuantan Park. For several weeks every April, the trees are a mass of white pinkish blossoms.

Even as the shrub and tree blooms fade, there's still plenty of gorgeous spring color. Rather making a special visit to Luoyang to appreciate China's national flower, the peony, Beijingers can instead visit Jingshan Park. Peony flowerbeds ring Coal Hill, with the park's northeast corner a riot of brilliant colors. Adding to this visual feast are the beds of white, red and gold tulips at the base of the hill. And speaking of Coal Hill, its summit has the best panoramic views of not only the Forbidden City but the entire city.

Over the May Day holiday, I make my last stop at Zhongshan Park. Every year at this time it is home to an international tulip exhibition, boasting not only the usual white, red and gold tulips but multi-colored ones, too; particularly violet pink-white flowers. The tulips are just one reason to visit Zhongshan Park. Others include the lovely old cypress pines, especially the scholar-embracing tree, arboretums and small but interesting Sun Yat-sen museum. Plus, if one is in the mood for music, there is the Forbidden City concert hall, with its excellent programs, intimate seating and wonderful acoustics.

Spring in Beijing is a visual feast. It'd be shame if you don't get out and take advantage of it.

The author is a corporate trainer at a State-owned enterprise. To comment, e-mail metrobeijing@chinadaily.com.cn. The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of METRO.

(China Daily 05/04/2011 page)