November: A Must-Visit Month for Beijing

Of all the seasons, I am most obsessed with autumn.

So many cities are drenched in autumn, but my heart belongs to Beijing’s fall.

Everyone should visit Beijing once in autumn.

As soon as autumn arrives, everyone living in Beijing sighs: Beijing's autumn is truly wonderful, an indescribable comfort. Year after year, it's the same, making outsiders genuinely envious.

I don't know when it started, but come autumn, everyone yearns to go to Beijing, and everyone sings its praises.

Perhaps it's because Beijing’s spring, summer, and winter aren’t always perfect, making the autumn all the more cherished.

Perhaps it's because countless literati adored Beijing’s autumn to bits, cloaking it in dreams and romance with their writings.

Or maybe it's simply because Beijing’s autumn is truly, undeniably enchanting.

Brilliant colors, crisp skies, and the lively warmth of everyday life together brew a scroll of old Beijing memories.

Back then, Beijing was still called Beiping.

That era’s Beiping holds the nostalgia and childhood memories of so many.

Climbing onto roofs to pick jujubes, fighting crickets in the courtyard, hearing the shouts echoing from the hutong entrance, the aroma of lamb hotpot from the restaurant drifting far and wide.

Hearing a cheerful 'Take care now, see you later!', patting a round belly, stepping out contentedly, and then turning left or right into yet another hutong.

At the street corner, the sight of roasted chestnuts and candied hawthorn skewers tempts you to take another bite.

Or go listen to a little folk tune, or strike up a chat with anyone you meet. It doesn’t matter if you know them—old Beijingers are naturally friendly with everyone, and never make you feel uncomfortable.

That amiability is innate, flowing in the blood of those from the imperial city’s roots, treating everyone with warmth.

Beijing has developed so fast that it’s hard to find some traditional things nowadays.

But somehow, when autumn comes, the Beiping of our memories seems to return.

That nostalgic aura is heartbreakingly poignant.

Whether you’re a Beijinger or not, whether you’ve been there or not, it’s a shared sentiment, indescribable.

Phrases like ‘crisp autumn air and clear skies’—when you set foot on Beijing’s soil in autumn, there’s a moment when you feel these words were made exclusively for the city.

It’s just too radiant.

As someone once said: ‘No one can bear to leave Beijing in autumn. People living here always seem to be rushing—through the annoying willow catkins of spring, the blinding harsh sunlight of summer, the unbearable dryness and cold winds of winter, all in a hurry. Autumn is different; Beijing in autumn puts away its sharp edge on cue, turning back into a gentle long-haired cat, nuzzling into the arms of anyone patient enough. Those who were rushing finally slow down.’

The leaves there turn red—whole mountains ablaze with red, brilliant and eye-catching. That redness, glimpsed from afar, convinces you that Beijing’s autumn is incomparable to any other city’s.

Head to Xiangshan (Fragrant Hills) to see the red leaves. Beyond the Badachu area, as you go deeper into the mountains, people dwindle and trees multiply. Nature’s gorgeous autumn splendor unfolds here completely, without a trace of affectation.

Even bustling Sanlitun exudes a different vibe in autumn.

Someone who has lived in Beijing for years will tell you: ‘Walking north from Sanlitun’s busiest, noisiest blocks, once you cross Dongzhimen Outer Street, a sense of secluded tranquility arises naturally. Then, after about a hundred steps, you encounter East Fifth Street and West Fifth Street stretching out to both sides, and the most beautiful autumn scenery comes rushing to meet you.’

The sky is a pure blue, and bright sunlight filters through golden ginkgo leaves. It seems as if you could just cup your open palm and catch the warmth of autumn in your hand.

People walking the streets all seem to wear warm smiles. At this time of year, Beijingers genuinely love life and love their city from the bottom of their hearts.

Beijing’s autumn is unique, a vermilion mole on the heart. As soon as autumn arrives, Beijing transforms back into Beiping, and when it does, it gains an extra measure of charm.

Beijing’s autumn is rich in color, with red walls and glazed tiles.

The roads walked and time spent in Beijing’s autumn are unforgettable. Not a single person who has seen it in autumn fails to fall in love with it.

Beiping is full of stories, which is why writers love to write about it.

How beautiful is Beiping? Yu Dafu will tell you, and so will Lao She.

Lao She said that of all he had seen in his life, Beiping’s autumn was paradise;

Yu Dafu said he would trade two-thirds of his lifespan to hold onto the autumn of the north;

When autumn arrives in Beijing, a traveler’s heart becomes glistening with gold, then wrapped in a thin, dense fog, filled with an indescribable melancholy—not sorrow, but a light, almost joyful wistfulness.

In autumn in Beijing, here are 13 places that will captivate you.

Those autumn scenes that enchant you: there must be the Forbidden City.

Many places have ginkgo trees in autumn, but only Beijing has them set against red walls, a matchless beauty of red walls and slanting shadows.

If it’s your first time witnessing the ginkgo rain at the Forbidden City, you’ll be stunned—the scene is like an oil painting, incredibly gorgeous.

Those autumn scenes that enchant you: there must be Beijing’s red leaves.

Fallen leaves are more brilliant than spring flowers.

Every autumn, I have a dream of weaving a colorful fairy tale with fallen leaves.

This autumn, I want to go to Fragrant Hills, to pick up memories as red as maple.

The smoke tree leaves covering the hills are red like flames; leaves fall one after another, coating me in autumn.

Fallen leaves carry sentiment, and plants indeed have a heart.

Those autumn scenes that enchant you: there must be Beijing’s ginkgo trees.

Who once said that the ginkgo trees inside the old city walls are so beautiful they linger in memory forever?

Walking through the ginkgo boulevard at Diaoyutai, listening to the soft crunch of crisp leaves underfoot, the layered golden ginkgo leaves shimmer with golden luster.

Those autumn scenes that enchant you: there must be Beijing’s chrysanthemums.

In autumn, places like the Temple of Heaven Park and Beihai Park host chrysanthemum exhibitions.

‘It’s not that I favor chrysanthemums above all flowers, but once they bloom, no other flower dares to appear.’ The chrysanthemums at the foot of the imperial city seem to bloom even more brilliantly.

Those autumn scenes that enchant you: there must be Beijing’s hutongs.

Where in Beijing is most atmospheric after autumn? Probably still the hutongs.

Many people have a hutong complex—a place close to bustle yet retreating into tranquility.

There’s sunlight, human warmth, the smell of cooking, and elderly folks speaking with a thick Beijing accent.

Walking through hutongs with gray walls and clay tiles, guessing the glory behind those blue bricks.

Countless stories have unfolded in deep hutongs, an endless trove to explore.

Just like Beijing itself, the more you dig, the more interesting it becomes.

Nanluoguxiang and Beiluoguxiang are certainly famous, but the more fun hutongs are those less known and less crowded.

During your days in Beijing, why not become a hutong wanderer?

Pick a pleasant day, duck into a hutong, and roam aimlessly, searching for the Beijing flavor in your heart.

Those autumn scenes that enchant you: there must be Beijing’s Great Wall.

Beijing has many sections of the Great Wall—Badaling, Mutianyu, Jinshanling… No matter which one, the wall set against the red leaves is equally majestic.

Those autumn scenes that enchant you: there must be the Temple of Heaven.

Such magnificent architecture stands quietly between heaven and earth in autumn, exuding innate elegance with a touch of carefree poetic charm.

Those autumn scenes that enchant you: there must be the Summer Palace.

Standing at the Summer Palace, it feels like the sky is especially high, the lake especially tranquil, golden leaves reflecting on the water, and a century of time rushing to meet you.

Those autumn scenes that enchant you: there must be Jingshan Park.

From the hilltop of Jingshan Park in autumn, you get the most beautiful view of Beijing, the solemn beauty of the Drum Tower imprinted deeply in your mind.

Those autumn scenes that enchant you: there must be the Olympic Forest Park.

Its autumn stuns many, thanks to that vast expanse of endless reeds.

Light filtering through the leaves creates a dreamy, romantic glow; the air is so sweet you can’t believe you’re in Beijing.

Those autumn scenes that enchant you: there must be Beijing’s university campuses.

Borrow a bicycle and ride through the campuses of Peking University and Tsinghua University; the scenery there always brings immense emotion.

Those autumn scenes that enchant you: there must be Beijing’s temples.

The ancient Dajue Temple, the imperial Tanzhe Temple, and Hongluo Temple, Dabei Temple… Beijing’s temples become more enchanting one after another in autumn.

Those autumn scenes that enchant you: there must be the most authentic Beijing flavors.

In autumn, go to Beijing and have a real Beijing meal.

Beijing stewed pork offal is so tempting; if you acquire the taste, you’d want a bowl almost every morning.

Beijing’s copper hotpot lamb, eaten with sweet garlic and dipped in sesame sauce, sweeps away the creeping northern autumn chill in one meal.

Freshly roasted Peking duck, rolled into thin pancakes with scallion shreds, cucumber sticks, and sweet bean sauce—crispy, tender, and explosively flavorful.

Beijing is a paradise for sugar-roasted chestnuts. Buy a bag in autumn, nibble as you walk, and taste the flavor of old Beijing.

Or cross the street from the Gate of Divine Prowess, buy a traditional candied hawthorn stick, then climb Jingshan.

Stand on Beijing’s central axis, in the clear, crisp air, and feel this grand yet tranquil Beijing.

Unknowingly, deep autumn arrives, and Beijing is always most beautiful then.

In November, Beijing’s dreamy autumn colors intoxicate, as if you’ve traveled back to the old Beiping.

Everywhere is gentle gold, making you want to cup each day in your hands.

There’s really no need to tick off a checklist of sights.

From red walls and green tiles to hutong shops and ancient temples in the outskirts, as long as you come to Beijing, you’ll naturally feel that intense autumn atmosphere.

The Forbidden City bathes in the autumn vibe, its golden glazed tiles breathtakingly beautiful.

Take a walk along North Alley in Sanlitun; beneath the deep blue sky, the fluttering of pigeons’ wings echoes again and again.

Autumn is for doing what autumn calls for.

This year also marks the 600th anniversary exhibition at the Forbidden City.

So this autumn is truly the perfect time to visit Beijing and take a stroll.