Beijing, China, is a city with seasons. It has been a while since I truly experienced all four seasons, so I’m excited to be in a place that has them all. When I arrived in September it was still hot during the lingering transition from summer to autumn, but then the leaves started changing and falling. This change was hurried along by a sudden cold spell that took us below freezing for several days with lots of snow. It was a record-breaking cold for November, with the last time it was that cold being more than 60 years ago.
It may have been cold, but it was clear and the fresh snow blanketed everything. Trees lost leaves by the hundreds all at once and other trees retained their green with the beautiful cover of snow. Before it warmed up again, I took the opportunity to go get some pictures, as did countless others, of Beijing in white, which is a rare sight. My friend and I went to Jingshan Park just behind the Forbidden City. We had 360-degree views of winter wonderland. We braved the freezing wind and icy steps leading up where slow queues of people grasped the handrail as they went up and down. Here are a few pictures from that outing.
Soon after, it warmed up a little, and the apocalypse fell upon us. But more about Beijing’s air quality in another post. I am anxious to experience a winter cold enough to freeze lakes for ice skating, but I am very excited to experience spring in Beijing with the numerous parks flowering around the city. I’ll probably be sick of the cold by then, but a two-week trip to India in early February will be a welcome respite I’m sure. How have the seasons changed where you are? I’d love to see some pictures in the comments.
