Early Bloomers: Eight of Beijing’s Must-See Spring Flowers

As we take our warm-weather clothes out of storage, nature is also shedding its winter coat and donning its spring finery. By now, the last traces of winter should be gone and you’ll be able to spot many new species flitting between budding trees. 

Ancient Chinese poets loved to extoll the arrival of spring. Take the following Tang dynasty poem, “Spring Dawn” (春晓 chūnxiǎo) by Meng Haoran (孟浩然 mèng hàorán):

春眠不觉晓 chūnmián bù jué xiǎo
I wake up at the dawn of spring,
处处闻啼鸟 chùchù wén tí niǎo
And hear the birds everywhere sing.
夜来风雨声 yèlái fēngyǔ shēng
As sounded the wind and rain overnight, 
花落知多少 huā luò zhī duōshǎo
I wonder how many blooms alight.

Most of the plant species in Beijing only bloom between late March and May, so now is the best time to break out of the daily grind in search of nature. Besides the popular peach and cherry blossoms, you might find yourself surprised by the sheer diversity of Beijing’s flora. We spotlight eight plant species below, along with the best places to enjoy their beauty.

Note: Due to the special circumstances created by Covid, many of Beijing's parks and gardens are closed, or have restricted admittance numbers. While you can check opening hours on ten popular Beijing parks via this handy WeChat mini-app, some of which appear in this article, we recommend calling ahead just to be safe (esp. if they aren't in the mini-app). 

Cherry blossoms (樱花 yīnghuā)

If you can’t make it to Japan for hanami, your second-best choice is Yuyuantan Park in Haidian District. You’ll find a sea of 2,000 pink, yellow, and white cherry trees in bloom, most of which are diplomatic gifts from Japan. Expect huge crowds on weekends. Best times to visit: Late March to mid-April.

Yuyuantan Park
RMB 2 (for park entry). Daily, 6am-9:30pm. 10 Xisanhuan Zhonglu, Haidian District (8865 3800)
玉渊潭公园：海淀区西三环中路10号玉渊潭公园

Peach blossoms (桃花 táohuā)

Did you know that the Beijing Botanical Garden has the largest peach garden in the city? Get up early and lose yourself among the thousands of peach trees before the masses descend on the place. Best times to visit: Early April to early May.

Botanical Garden
RMB 5 (entry), RMB 50 (greenhouse, or greenhouse and Wufosi Temple)
Daily, 6am-9pm. Xiangshan Nanlu, Haidian District (8259 8771)
北京植物园和卧佛寺：海淀区香山南路北京植物园

Apricot blossoms (杏花 xìng huā)

Every spring, visitors flood into Fenghuangling Nature Park to see apricot buds burst into a sea of pink flowers. Apricot trees cover approximately 400,000sqm of the park; families can also enjoy hiking the green hills and exploring thick forests. Best times to visit: Early to mid-April.

Fenghuangling Nature Park
RMB 25. Daily, 7am-5pm. 19 Fenghuangling Lu, Sujiatuo Town, Haidian District (6245 5933)
凤凰岭自然风景公园：海淀区苏家坨镇凤凰岭路19号,凤凰岭自然风景公园

Tulips (郁金香 yùjīnxiāng)

Located just west of Tian’anmen square, Zhongshan Park is the only place in Beijing where you’ll find an abundance of tulips. The bulbs were gifted to China from Holland in the 1970s. Best times to visit: Mid-April to mid-May.

Zhongshan Park
RMB 3. Daily, 6am-9pm. 4 Zhonghua Lu, Dongcheng District (6605 5431)
中山公园：东城区中华路4号（天安门西侧）中山公园

Pear blossoms (梨花 líhuā)

The most beautiful flowers are often the most fleeting. Chinese adore pear blossoms but they only seem to flower for a few days each year, so it's important to know where to look. Though better known for the quality of its watermelons, Daxing District is also home to Lihua Village which boasts more than 30,000 pear trees. Make a weekend of it by staying at one of the many guesthouses there, and visit some of the local shops and restaurants. Best times to visit: Mid-April. 

Lihua Village
Panggezhuang Town, Daxing District (8928 8545)
梨花村：大兴区庞各庄镇梨花村

Crabapple blossoms (海棠花 hǎitáng huā)

Crabapple trees bloom later than peach and cherry trees and the flowering season lasts longer. Every April, more than 3,000 crabapple trees bring crowds to Yuan Dynasty City Wall Relics Park, a normally quiet retreat that follows the border between Haidian and Chaoyang districts. Best times to visit: Early April to May

Yuan Dynasty City Wall Relics Park
Free. Daily, 24-hrs. 24 Anwai Xiaoguanjie, Chaoyang District (8464 8252)
元大都遗址公园：朝阳区安外小关街24号（近育慧南路）元大都城垣遗址公园

Magnolias (玉兰花 yùlán huā)

The ancient magnolia tree was favored by Chinese emperors and produces large, fragrant flowers. The magnolia trees at Tianzhe Temple are the most famous, as some of the specimens are over 300 years old. The white and lilac blossoms are made even more enjoyable by the tranquility of the surroundings. Best times to visit: April and May.

Tanzhe Temple
RMB 50. Daily, 8.30am-4.30pm. Tantuo Shanlu, Mentougou District (6086 1699)
潭柘寺：门头沟区潭柘寺镇

Peony (牡丹花 mǔdān huā)

Formerly grown only for the emperor, the peony is the floral emblem of China and is associated with fortune, prosperity, and nobility. The “king of flowers” produces massive, heavy blooms that range in color from fuchsia to pure white, canary yellow, and cotton candy pink. To get a close look at these revered flowers, head to Jingshan Park just north of the Palace Museum. Best times to visit: Mid-April to late May.

Jingshan Park 
Daily, 6am-8.30pm. 44 Jingshan Xijie, Xicheng District (6404 4071)
景山公园：西城区景山西街景山公园

READ: Use this Mini-App to Check Which Parks Are Open and Book Tickets

This article originally appeared on our sister site beijingkids.

Images: theblackdesertonline.com, onlone.com, RL Hyde (Flickr), Saltmarsh (Flickr)