Spring is blooming marvelous

With a plethora of parks, Beijingers can get the most out of this fleeting season

When family and friends back in the United States ask what I dislike most about Beijing winters, I mention not only the prolonged and bitter cold, but also the absence of snow. Thanks to its normally dry weather pattern, which has been accentuated by an epic drought, the city gets just one or two light dustings of snow a year.

Heavy snowfalls would snarl the already horrible traffic, but having the city covered by a soft white blanket of snow would lend a touch of magic. As it is, from late October to March, the capital takes on a bleak gray hue.