'Magic' chrysanthemums to make debut on Monday

The Emerald City in The Wizard of Oz is not the only place where things can change colors. Starting on Monday, 300 potted chrysanthemums - a new Chinese breed with amazing color-changing properties - will be shown in Beijing as part of the upcoming National Day celebration.

Two varieties of the newly developed chrysanthemums will adorn themed floral terraces celebrating the Yangtze River economic zone and the country's overall development at the northeast and southeast corners of the Dongdan intersection (roughly where subway Line 5 meets Line 1).

The fancy color-changing chrysanthemums were selected from more than 40,000 varieties, and have been carefully nursed over the last four years, Beijing Youth Daily reported. One of the varieties, Xuanqiu Fenyun, or "pink flower in gorgeous autumn" in Chinese, will be in full bloom in the next four to five days. The flower can turn from light yellow to deeper yellow during the flowering season.