City's Golden Fossil Foilage

In season, tens of thousands flock to the Fragrant Hills each weekend to walk among the famous red leaves, so often seen as an icon of Beijing's autumn. But these sightseers may not realize that within the city itself, there are some brilliant colors of the season to be found in relatively undiscovered spots.

Beijing's gingko leaves are putting on their own display as the day-and-night temperature differences stimulate the color changes. The gingko's elegant fan-shaped leaves tower above the city streets and if you look up often enough, you may discover a quiet beauty above the busy traffic.

Gingko is a prehistoric plant that dates back to the time when dinosaurs still roamed the earth. Dense forests of gingko grew in North America, Asia and Europe 270 million years ago, but now, these primitive plants are only found naturally in Asia, and mostly in China.

To appreciate the beauty of the gingko, visit the Buddhist temple Dajuesi, a quiet retreat at the foot of the Western Hills or Xishan in Haidian. This religious retreat is more than a thousand years old and known for its gingko trees, which are even older than the temple.

The oldest blossoming tree in the temple was planted in the Liao Dynasty (907-1125), and there is another famous 1,000-year-old tree in the courtyard which has nine smaller trees growing around it. Their branches have twined and this has earned them the nickname "nine sons hugging their mother".

This is a very different experience from the crowds at Fragrant Hills, where you may end up counting heads instead of appreciating the maple leaves. At Dajuesi, you can relax in the shade of the gingko, or sit in the temple teahouse while you gaze upwards. For the shutterbug, there are countless angles to capture the beauty of the gingko - all amid a serenity that is an absolute luxury for urban-jungle dwellers.

While the breeze soothes and calms you, you can also seek physical sustenance at the temple restaurant, which serves vegetarian dishes, including some made with gingko nuts.

Outside the temple gates, vendors keep to the theme by offering roasted gingko nuts. At 30 yuan a kilo, these are great souvenirs to take back to the elderly at home, since these "longevity fruits" are believed to benefit health and strengthen memory.

The gingko trees are incredibly long-lived, but they also mature exceedingly slowly. They are known as "grandfather-grandson" trees - because it is said they take three generations to mature and bear fruit.

My friends and I used to pick well-shaped gingko leaves for bookmarks. If you like a souvenir of the season, locate a tree right in your neighborhood.

The gingko is a rare tree globally, but it is common in Beijing where it is planted on campuses, and along major streets especially in Chaoyang and Zhongguancun areas.