CITY GUIDE >City Special
Nuts about nature
(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-08-29 08:56

Check out the Buddha's attendants (the closest has eyebrows that hang to his waist) through the west-end window, and the more accessible bronze temple bell in the courtyard. The kid in all of us will love the colony of turtles in the pond near the temple gate; dozens of them clamber onto a wooden raft to sun themselves and survey their surroundings.

"Opened in 1956, the state-funded garden has really blossomed since the 1980s," says Zhao. "At that time, the government invested a lot of money in parks and green spaces." The penjing garden and the new rose garden were added around that time, while the conservatory opened in 2000. And unlike most of the world's botanical gardens outside Germany, you can buy a cold beer at the concession stands.

By the numbers:More than 10,000 different species are represented among the garden's 1.5 million plants. The total planting area is 400 hectares, about half of which is open to visitors.

Right now, don't miss:The lotus, the penjing, the tropical wonders in the conservatory, and the impressive crab apple orchard, now burgeoning with fruit.

Come back in the fall for:The autumn garden, and also plan to visit the nearby Fragrant Hills park when the smoke-tree leaves turn red.

Come back in spring for:Lavish displays of peonies, flowering peaches and pears, tulips, lilacs, and magnolias.

Getting there: The Beijing Botanical Garden sits in the city's northwest hills. Take the Line 10 subway to Bagou or Line 1 to Bajiao (Amusement Park) station and catch a cab the rest of the way (25-30 yuan).

Admission: Botanical garden 5 yuan; greenhouse 50 yuan; Wofo Temple 10 yuan.

Dome, sweet dome

The big glass conservatory is a bonanza for plant nuts. But even if you don't know a bromeliad from a broomstick, this "greenhouse" space is a treat.