Mountain paradise

Want to enjoy the best of spring and escape the maddening crowds? Chengdu local Chen Liang says the choice is easy. Mount Qingcheng is only an hour's drive from the capital of Sichuan province and is full of bucolic delights.

Spring has finally arrived in North China, but it is still far from pleasant, with arid air, big temperature differences between day and night, cold fronts and even occasional sandstorms.

To embrace spring at its best, you have to travel south and enjoy an off-season holiday. There are many places in the south of the country, far from the heavily air-polluted major cities, where spring is already in full bloom. For a native of Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province, giving a recommendation is easy - visit Mount Qingcheng and the surrounding area.