Shall I compare thee to an April's day? As the weather slowly warms up in April, seas of blossoming spring flowers capture the Beijing gaze, turning the capital into a tableau coming alive through pulsating colors.

Statistics from the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism show that under the premise of effective epidemic prevention and control, during the three-day Qingming Festival (Tomb-Sweeping Day) holiday on April 3-5, the city's 185 tourist attractions received 5.546 million visitors.

Beijing residents have seen a massive upgrade in their urban landscape over the past few years. Various urban, country and forest parks are established for and opened to the public every year. Data released by the Beijing Municipal Development and Reform Commission in late 2021 showed that the city's per-capita park green space reached 16.6 square meters.

In the capital's suburbs, wild plant biodiversity restoration has achieved significant results. Data from the bureau indicate there are now 2,088 species of vascular plants, including 15 national key protected wild plant species. Many outdoor devotees nowadays choose to head up to the city's surrounding mountains and capture some wild florae in their natural "habitat."

(Text and photos by Wei Yao)

Copyedited by Elsbeth van Paridon

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