Xiangshan Park, also known as the Fragrant Hills Park, is located on the eastern sides of the Western Hills, approximately 10 kilometers to the west of Beijing. Due to its high elevation and dense cover of trees, spring arrives late in the area and summer days are always pleasantly cool. The best time to visit the park is late fall, when the smoke tree leaves turn red. The trees make the grandest display of all. There are also groves of apricots, pears, peaches and lilacs adding their fragrance, and the more solemn evergreens, whose contribution to the local beauty is unrestricted by seasonal changes. [China.org.cn/Photo by Feng Jun]