The golden beauty of autumn highlighted at osmanthus festival

The 2025 Beijing Osmanthus Cultural Festival officially opened at the Summer Palace in Beijing on Sept 23 — the date of the autumn equinox — and will run through to Oct 12.

The festival showcases over 230 pots of century-old osmanthus trees and premium osmanthus flowers, along with 28 combination planters and 58 northern-style bonsai and chrysanthemum bonsai. The flower exhibition covers an area of approximately 7,000 square meters, blending natural ecology with cultural heritage to create an immersive golden autumn cultural extravaganza for citizens and tourists.

The festival has also introduced the Suzhou Garden Cultural Art Exhibition. The exhibition focuses on three main categories: stone rubbings of Suzhou classical garden couplets, Suzhou-style bonsai, and traditional floral arrangements. It includes over 10 historical stone rubbings from renowned Suzhou gardens, as well as five exquisite Suzhou-style bonsai works. These exhibits systematically interpret the gardening philosophy of Suzhou classical gardens, which create "a new world within a few feet," and the elegant charm of Jiangnan literati art.

Suzhou in Jiangsu province is famous for its exquisite gardening art and its influence adds cultural depth to the event.

This year's festival is also collaborating with 10 other parks across Beijing, creating a citywide celebration of golden autumn osmanthus for the public to enjoy.