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Editor's Note

Spring is often a testy time in Beijing, when beautiful spring days with blue skies can be interrupted by everything from snow to sandstorms, but the spring of 2009, so far, has been a beautiful one, if a bit on the cool side.

Since the heat has been turned off or turned down in most buildings in the city, a cold front sends us scurrying to find an extra blanket or pair of pajamas to wear that we might not have needed a month ago, but it’s all part of the seasonal cycle that we’ve come to love.

And now, spring blossoms are bursting with colour and spreading their fragrance wherever they’re found, whether the yulan (magnolia) trees lining Chang’an Jie, the apricots and lilacs in Tiantan Park or peach trees tucked away in some ancient hutong courtyard that we’d be lucky ever to see. Our ever-romantic writer Rocky Li has been dazzled by the floral extravaganza and has written a story to share some of his flower knowledge with you that begins on page 12 in this issue.

While spring is a wonderful time to get out and around, there are some days when it’s best to stay inside, and when they happen, there’s no better way to use your time than reading a good book. The editors and contributors of BTM share some of their reading ideas with you beginning on page 20. Hopefully, our suggestions will give you some ideas to explore on your own.

No generalist English-language magazine like ours covers art in Beijing any better than we do. In this issue, in addition to our extensive list of galleries and openings, we profile some interesting artists that you might want to become acquainted with as the art season enters its busiest time of the year. As Beijing’s artists adjust to a changing world business climate, some interesting new things are happening to ensure that local artists secure their presence on the world art scene. There’s a lot going on; let your personal quest for good art begin here.

The time is right, and with the blue skies of spring bluer than ever in Beijing, get your camera, get out in the city’s parks and get busy. Don’t forget to put yourself in the picture; if you do, you will have memories of Beijing to take home that will last a lifetime.