Red leaves at Fragrant Hills Park. Photo: Xinhua Net

Autumn Hues throughout China

Beijing celebrates the grand opening of its Red Leaf Festival at Fragrant Hills Park Friday. Due to warmer-than-usual temperatures this early autumn, the best leaf-viewing period will start from next week to mid-November.

The annual event of the Red Leaf Festival is held in the fall, when all the Fragrant Hills are blanketed with fiery red leaves. According to the park administration, the leaves turn red when the daily temperature gap is larger than 10 degrees Celsius. Since the weather in early October is warmer than usual, however, at present, only 5% of the leaves have turned red. The best leaf-viewing period normally begins when the color-changing rate reaches 50%. Hopefully, it will come next week since colder weather is forecast for the following days. In addition, the abundance of rain in this summer has promoted the growth of red-leaf trees, so the viewing time is expected to last to until November 15 at least.

A major autumn tourist event in the capital city, the Red Leaf Festival attracts an enormous number of visitors each year. The crowds cause serious traffic problems and sometimes disappoint leaf viewers. To ease the situation, a new pathway for viewers has been built uphill from Heshun Gate to Yutai Gate near the Ziyan Pavilion stretching 1,350 meters. Although the new path is the shortest in the park, it has three adventages. First, it winds through many of the best leaf-viewing spots in the park. Second, it leads to the best place to have a panoramic view of Xianglu Peak, a famous spot in the park. Last, it snakes through dense forest, offering a burst of fresh oxygen that is good for one's health.