Beijing Olympic Forest Park, covering an area of 680 hectares, is not only a key supporting facility for the Beijing Olympic Park, but is also honored as the "back garden" of the 29th Olympic Games. It holds the distinction of being the largest urban green landscape area in Asia. The park features a natural forest system composed of more than 530,000 trees from over 100 species, 80 varieties of shrubs, and over 100 types of ground cover plants, arranged to promote biodiversity. The park is divided into two sections: the southern and northern gardens.
The southern garden of the park is centered around the majestic landscapes of Yangshan and Aohai Hu. Yangshan, the park's highest point at an elevation of 86.5 meters, offers stunning views of Aohai Hu and the southern part of the park. Its name complements Jingshan on Beijing Central Axis, together creating the magnificent sight. Aohai Hu, covering 28.74 hectares, is the central lake of Olympic Forest Park and sits at the top of the dragon-shaped water system that runs through the Olympic Park and its venues, earning the system the poetic name "The Dragon Swimming in Aohai." In contrast, the northern garden showcases natural beauty with dense forests and features charming small-scale stream landscapes, all of which highlight the park's serene and wild essence.
In October, Beijing enters its most enchanting season of the year. With the crisp autumn breeze, the air is thick with the scent of fall, making the viewing of red maples a significant pleasure of the season. From late October to late November, thousands of acres of colorful trees in Olympic Forest Park gradually don their autumn finery, presenting a vibrant tapestry of colors that blend beautifully with the autumn scenery.
Despite its location on the urban edge of the Fifth Ring Road, Olympic Forest Park boasts a stunning natural beauty reminiscent of mountain forests. On the western slope of Yangshan in the southern garden, the torch trees are among the first to welcome the autumn hues; by mid-October, their red leaves have set the mountains ablaze with color. Following closely behind, other deciduous trees like the golden rain tree and dawn redwood also begin to change into their fall attire. Aohai, the wetlands, the Tianjing area, the Forest Art Center, the maple forest, and the most spectacular ginkgo forest within the Fifth Ring Road, along with the reed marshes and the blossoming gesang flowers, all reach their prime viewing season. This place is a year-round spectacle of beauty, offering endless picturesque scenes to capture.
Translator: NIU Lihua
Reviewer: BAI Jing
