Fruit picking in Beijing suburbs

For Beijingers, spring comes late this year. It's not until April that trees will turn green and flowers blossom. After a long wait, people are eager to touch the green, so let's go to the outskirts of the capital and see some popular choices.

Cherry orchard at Fragrance Hill 香山摘樱桃

Standing at the foot of the famed Xiangshan or Fragrance Hill, Yingtaoyuan or the Cherry Orchard is the nearest fruit picking spot from downtown Bejing. To its east, is the famous Summer Palace while in the north is Beijing Botanical Garden.

A visit to the Cherry Orchard will help you find more than a hundred kinds of cherry. The Cherry Orchard not only offers you fruit picking but also an experience of the distinctive Chinese gardens, a well-integrated texture of water, rockeries, pavilions, bridges with rarely-seen trees and flowers with notice boards with more details.

Every year, a fruit picking festival is held from mid May to the end of June. Spring is the time to taste fresh cherries and apricots, while summer is for peaches, autumn for dates and cherry apples, and crabapples for early winter.

Apple picking at foot of Great Wall 长城摘苹果

Near the Badaling section of the Great Wall is a popular apple picking village. It covers an area of nearly 70 hectares. Not far from it are a few popular tourist spots including Kanxi Grassland, Wild Duck Lake and a riding club. The period for fruit picking stretches from July to the end of October. Visitors can also cook for themselves at local farmers’houses.

Folk trips are promoted by the local village. A fishing pond and physical exercise facilities have been built. Walking along the pathways at the road side, visitors can learn more about the development and management of the village’s fruits planting.

Apricot picking near ancient pass of Great Wall 长城摘杏子

120 kilometers northeast from Beijing, Simatai village is part of the historical county of Gubeikou. With an area of over 130,000 square kilometers,(?) more than two thirds of the village is covered by plants. As the picking period runs from April to October, the village overgrows with peaches, apples, chestnuts and the star production, apricots.

Apricots are nutritious with various vitamins and amino acids. They work well against coughing, aging and cancer. The apricot in Simatai village was also a favourite fruit sent up to the imperial court in the Qing Dynasty since Emperor Qianlong first tasted them during a private visit. More history and old tales can be discovered if you pay a visit to local various temples.

Hundreds of fruit picking venues are scattered in the outskirts of Beijing. Each have their own specialities for visitors. It a new type of fun for urbanites, going to the suburbs with their families, taking a break from the bustling city and relaxing from the busy beat.