Your Spring Flower Tours

Beijingers are unusually fortunate in the city's abundance of beauty spots such as parks, gardens, official scenic areas and mountain slopes, all of which are beautifully maintained.

The dominant flowers during April include peach blossoms, cherries, azaleas and apricot. The larger parks usually have more varieties and more superior layouts of flower beds, but suburban gardeners take advantage of natural landscapes. Even so, they attract plenty of visitors, though not to the degree of larger counterparts.

Temple of Heaven Magnolias

The city-center temple has a precious natural "oxygen bar", resulting in very comfortable open areas where magnolias and apricot trees can flower to their full potential. The flower garden here, and an area Wst of the Hall of Prayers for a Good Harvest delight visitors for their beautiful layouts and high standard of maintenance.

Admission: 10 yuan/Tel: 6702-8866 (Chinese only)

Zhongshan Park's Dutch Tulips
This is the only place in town where you will find large areas of Dutch tulips--a photographer's dream.
Admission: 2 yuan/ Open: 7am-7.30pm/Tel: 6404-4071 

Oriental Cherry at Yuyuantan Park
The oriental cherry is the most famous attraction of the park, which received its first 180 cherry saplings from the Japanese premier when China established diplomatic relationship with his country 30 years ago. Today the park's lake is surrounded by more than 1,200 oriental cherry trees.

Admission: 2 yuan/Tel: 6581-4441

Summer Palace Its Own Flower Garden
It's a simple case of flowers galore at the Summer Palace, especially along its Western Dyke and on the South bank of Kunming Lake.
Admission: 30 yuan/Open: 9am-4pm/Tel: 6288-1144 

Peach Flower Festival
The Botanical Garden's annual flower festival is always a huge draw for the public and tourists, not least because sheer size of the garden makes it a good choice for one-day family trippers. Peach trees abound, both in the various gardens and the valley beyond if you fancy a walk into the hills. If you need a break during your visit, the Sleeping Buddha Temple provides a relaxing atmosphere.

Admission: 5 yuan/Open: 6am-8pm/Tel: 6259-1561

Baiwang's Majestic Display
Touring the mountain can easily fill your day, the reward being that probably the biggest range of Beijing's Spring flowers can be found here. The complex on the mountain's apex provides a fine view of flowers in every direction, not to mention the city panorama itself.

The authorities here have introduced a Forest Path Plan that makes various hiking routes available. This should prove popular because hikers can be taken to the most important scenic spots and receive a commentary from guides. In addition to hiking, the mountain features a 16.8-meter-high climbing wall. Enthusiasts will find 12 levels of difficulty.

Baiwang has been the battlefield of many wars since the Western Han Dynasty (206BC-AD25). The most famous include Biesimao (Stifle the cats to death) and Dayingao (Catching the hawks).

Admission: 5 yuan/Open: 5am-8.30pm

Beijing's Oldest Magnolia

The magnolia tree at the Minghui Teahouse in a Dajue Temple yard is said to be 300 years old. The best time to view it is this month, when its luxurious blossoms both provide a canopy and carpet the courtyard - a pleasure enhanced by experts ceremoniously serving tea. The temple and teahouse also offer lodgings with basic facilities or a presidential suite. A hike to nearby Baiwang Mountain is a plus during your visit.

Temple Admission: 10 yuan; teahouse entrance free/Open: 8am-5pm

More Magnolia - and a Gingko
Tanzhe and Jietai temples in Mentougou District are suitable for two-day getaways from the city. Tanzhe, with a longer history than Beijing, is virtually awash in purple magnolia blossom at this time of year. The area's greenery too is spectacular, especially when its fruit trees blossom.

The Tanzhe compound contains an ancient gingko, known as the emperor's tree, that towers 30 meters (98 feet). Supposedly it was planted during the Liao Dynasty (916-1125).

Jietai Temple, known as the Temple of the Ordination Altar, takes its name from its Ming period marble ordination altar. The temple is well known for its cloves.

Admission: 35 yuan (Tanzhe Temple);/30 yuan (Jietai Temple)

Open: 8am-6pm/Tel: 6980-6611; 6980-2645

Pinggu International Peach Blossom Festival
Beijing's largest concentrations of peach blossom can be found at almost all tourist sites in Pinggu County, which is East of the city. Along with enjoying the flowers, you can visit a greenhouse to pick peaches and vegetables.

Tel: 8999-1180 (Pinggu County Tourist Office)

Famed Luoyang Peony

A Grand Peony Fair will be held in Luoyang, in central China's Henan Province, from April 10-25. It will be the city's 20th successive annual fair as well as the largest ever.

Luoyang enjoys a reputation as the "City of the Peony" a flower that thrives in its rich soil and moderate climate. Indeed, the flower's blossoms are so much larger than elsewhere that they have been dubbed the "king of flowers". Some 800 species of the peony have been developed and improved, many from overseas.

With a history of almost 5,000 years, Luoyang was the Chinese capital during several ancient dynasties. Since the Tang Dynasty (618-907), the city's peonies have evolved into among the world's best - if not the best. They were particularly appreciated by the great poet Ouyang Xiu of the Song Dynasty (960-1279), who wrote: "Luoyang peony ranks first under Heaven."

Tourist Note: Luoyang is a 10-hour train ride from Beijing.