One of the first parks I visited in Beijing was Fragrant Hills (Xiangshan). The park is best known for its smoke trees, which turn the hillside red in autumn.
I went in November, hoping to make a few nice pictures to send to family and friends back home. The climb to the top of the park took about two hours. Along the way I saw plenty of yellow and golden leaves, but no red ones. To make matters worse, when I reached the peak the view of Beijing was obstructed by pollution.
But the hike wasn’t a total loss. On the way down, I found a trail that led to a pond. The surface was covered with leaves and water lilies. I took several pictures, and then climbed to a higher spot so I could get the people walking around the water in the frame. From there I captured one of my favorite images of my first few months in China.
Slightly Reworded 
You are right! It’s better in B/W. see you soon 🙂
Thanks, I’m looking forward to visiting and doing a Gerst-Turoni’s-Franklin St. tour.
Jimmy
wow, this is beautiful!
Thanks for the compliment!
Jimmy
Stunning shot …. Pollution? In 12 weeks in China, I saw the sun 2 1/2 days.
Thank you! That sounds about right for Beijing.
Hey, How’s Beijing? =)
The picture brought the place in its true beauty and color, how much more if we can see it live…
Romantic…
Thanks for the compliment. I like it here, minus the pollution and dry, long winters. I can almost always find something fun to do on the weekends, and getting around has become a lot easier as my Chinese has improved.
Jimmy
You’re most welcome. =)
It’s good to hear that…
And y’know, you can always sit back, relax and enjoy everything that you see there.
Oh, I hope I can learn chinese too… LoL…
Wishing to see more and exciting adventures in the future.
Emily
Hi Jimmy,
Love the picture…Ansel Adams would be proud! Charlie
Thanks, I appreciate it. I don’t do black-and-white very often, but I think it really made the picture stand out in this case.
Pollution was bad when I reached Beijing too. The pilot announced the weather in Beijing was sunny. But I was confused because the ground was covered in clouds and fog when we landed, Yes, it took me a while to realize it wasn’t clouds that we had landed in on the sunny day… it was smog.
I’ve lived in Beijing a little more than two years and seen many “sunny” forecasts turn out to be anything but.
Jimmy