The 10th Mountain Flower Festival kicked off on April 1 in Fragrant Hills Park in Beijing, embracing spring's visit to the city.

Itching to soak up the fragrance and beauty of the mountain flowers? Just set out for an outing in the park located in northwestern corner of Beijing for a breath of spring and bathe in the breeze.

The park, which is 20 kilometers from the central city with more than 800 years of history, is actually most famous for its maple leaves, which will turn red in the middle of October in a show that seems to set the whole mountain on fire for about one month.

But the 43-day mountain flower festival in April and May is another cannot-miss experience in the capital, says Yao Jiang, who works at the administration office of the park.

"After months of labor under the strain of hard work, a stroll in the park will serve as great relief to city dwellers," he says.

Park officials say a total of 120,000 potted and planted flowers will be presented during the festival, the grandest in scale in the past 10 years.

Most of the flowers are aromatic plants, according to Yao, including rosemary, orchid, primulas, osmanthus and brunfelsia.

Besides the natural sceneries, the festival has also come up with some street markets selling special tourism products, including plants, handicrafts and food - plus activities like mountain-climbing contests and a garden-design competition.

zhengxin@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 04/08/2012 page15)