Wake Up, It’s Spring!: A Roundup of Beijing's 5 Best Free Parks

The temperature is rising in Beijing, and according to the weather forecast, we're looking at a fine 30 degrees today. Don't you feel it? Wake up!

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“Spring is nature’s way of saying ‘Let’s party!’” said Robin Williams (RIP). Who doesn't agree with that sentiment? To get out into nature and enjoy some of Beijing's best parks, you don't even need to spend a fen. Below we've rounded up Beijing's top five free outdoor spaces – put your running shoes or jump on your bike and head out towards the grass.
 

1. Olympic Forest Park 奥林匹克森林公园 – Get you jog on!
Easily Beijing's best place for joggers, the Olympic Forest Park covers 680 hectares, making it well worth the trek up north. There are two parts to the park: the north end includes a mountain with a 5.7-kilometer track, which gives a great view of Beijing, while the south end is and oval-shaped 5 kilometers (great for running) and includes a lake in the center. A lot of professional marathoners come here to practice long slow distance running (LSD running ... hmm).

The park has been described as the green lungs of the city, which should help yours out, too.

Hours: 6am-8pm (Mar 15-Nov 15)
 

2. Haidian Park 海淀公园 – Go picnic!
Haidian Park is situated in northwest Beijing, and is surrounded by the Summer Palace, Tsinghua University, and Peking University. It occupies 40 hectares, three fourths of which are covered in green. Popular sites include Changchun Garden, Xihua Garden and Quanzong Temple. Unlike many parks in Beijing, people are allowed to sit on the lawn in the center of the park. 

Hours: 6am-9.30pm (Apr 1-Oct 31)
 

3. Rendinghu Park 人定湖公园 – See the flowers!
Construction of Rendinghu began in 1958 but was only finished in 1996. Although a little smaller than the others on this list, its 9.2 hectares are full of European charm, having been styled on such gardens. The park also includes several fountains in the south, and a quiet lake in the north. Around this time of year the park is full of crabapple blossoms.

Hours: 6am-9.30pm (year-round)
 

4. Taiyanggong Park 太阳宫公园 – Fly a kite!
With a huge lawn, Taiyanggong is the perfect park to fly a kite. Besides, the area near the west gate is designed specifically for kids, with a lot of entertainment and rides.

Hours: 9am-6.30pm (year-round)
 

5. Yuyuantan Park 玉渊潭公园 – See the cherry blossoms!
Normally, there's very little reason to visit the area of Beijing bounded to the east and west by West Third and Second Ring Roads and to the north and south by subway Lines 1 and 4. However, something very special happens every spring between late March and the beginning of May at Yuyuantan Park: cherry blossom season (RMB 10, free the rest of the year). The cherry trees, descended from 180 specimens given to China from Japan in 1973, are concentrated in the northwest quadrant of the park and now number in the thousands. Read more about the blossoms here.

Hours: 6am-9.30pm (summer), 6.30am-7pm (winter)

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Photos courtesy of funny-quotes, gardenvisit,sina