Beijing is not the prettiest place in autumn - as the temperature drops and the chilly winds start to blow, leaves quickly go from green to gone - but the city does boast one park where colorful fall foliage can be seen in all its glory.  The park, at Xiangshan (Fragrant Hills), spreads across a surprisingly steep hillside some fifteen miles northwest of the city center.  The park is blanketed by smoke trees, with leaves that turn a deep red in late October and early November.  Remarkable with the sun shining upon them, they glow most brilliantly in the early morning and late afternoon when the sun shines through them, as shown here.

Behind the Fragrant Hills Hotel, where the photographs this day were taken.  Tens of thousands of leaf peepers crowd Xiangshan each day during autumn, particularly on weekends, and some of those visitors have an unfortunate tendency to pull colorful leaves off the trees to keep as souvenirs.  Yet this hotel, located within the park, remains quiet most days, and its garden out back contains a variety of trees unspoiled by the crowds.

Smoke leaves, a common sight throughout Xiangshan this time of year.

Ginkgo leaves.  Though I noticed no ginkgo trees in the rest of Xiangshan, the hotel garden has a huge one.  As the color of other trees here had not yet peaked, most photographs this day are of smoke and ginkgo trees.

Smoke leaves.  Xiangshan has a history not unlike other major Beijing sites, particularly the Summer Palace and the Old Summer Palace.  Like them, Xiangshan was a summer retreat for the emperor - its history goes back more than 800 years.  Like them, Xiangshan was built up with elaborate palaces and garden landscaping during the Qing dynasty over 200 years ago.  And like them, much of Xiangshan was destroyed by Western forces during their invasions in 1860 and 1900.

Ginkgo branches.  Xiangshan was restored and opened to the public after the communists came to power.  In fact, the Chinese leadership lived in Xiangshan for a time just after the People’s Republic was established, and the villa where Mao lived can still be seen.

Smoke leaves.

A ginkgo leaf.

Smoke leaves, sunlit from behind.

Ginkgo branches, also backlit.

Smoke leaves.

Ginkgo leaves, near peak color.

Smoke leaves, midway to peak color.

Smoke tree branches.

Ginkgo leaves.

Smoke leaves in the late afternoon.

This was the most unusual leaf coloring I saw at Xiangshan; it can be found throughout the park.  It appears that these leaves come from a variety of smoke tree, but I am not certain of this, nor do I know whether the striping is natural or the result of Beijing’s heavy air pollution.  Whatever the case, these leaves are quite stunning when backlit.

Smoke leaves.

More striped leaves.

Inside the Fragrant Hills Hotel.  Designed by I. M. Pei, the hotel opened just before some of his most famous works: the East Building of the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC, the expansion of the Louvre in Paris, and the Bank of China building in Hong Kong.  This is a great place for dinner after the sun has set on a long afternoon of leaf peeping at Xiangshan.