Beijing Welcomes Spring After Frigid Winter

By Samantha Tan Chiew Ting Bernama’s correspondent in Beijing, Samantha Tan Chiew Ting, shares her experience in China’s capital city. BEIJING, March 24 (Bernama) -- Beijing residents are welcoming spring with open arms after five months of frigid temperatures and heavy snow. Despite the haze currently surrounding the city, many decided to mark March 20, the first day of spring, by spending time outdoors. For someone born and raised in a tropical country like Malaysia like me, the transition into a new season is nothing short of amazing. This year's spring is even more meaningful after a record-breaking strong cold wave swept over China in January. The temperatures in Beijing plummeted to as low as -18 degrees Celsius. Although it is spring, the cold temperature seemed to have carried over with a high of 20°C and a low of 2°C. Nevertheless, the wind and chill did little to deter people from going out to see the blooming flowers. "I had been praying for spring to come earlier this year. The cold has been unbearable. This makes the budding flowers and new tree growths such a welcome sight," said Xiang Xiang, 31. CELEBRATING FLORALS In addition to the freezing weather, the shorter daylight hours during winter has kept many indoors. Public parks were deserted then, but that quickly changed in spring. Last weekend saw many flooding the parks around Beijing to enjoy the new and colourful blooms. I made my way down to the Qingfeng Park and found it crowded with families. Children were scampering about and laughing happily. The urban forest park is where the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal is located. The canal is the longest artificial river in the world at a length of over 1,700 meters. The oldest part dates back to the 5th century BC and today, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In the spring of 2009, the Chaoyang District's government renovated the area and built the Qingfeng Park on Sept 28. The park comprised two major areas namely the north modern waterscape and the south green ecological and cultural site. FRESH START, NEW HOPE While some welcomed spring by going outdoors, others preferred celebrating the season with family and friends. Lu Dian, 48, was among those who celebrated spring every year with her family. "We find it more meaning to get together with family and friends as we had not been able to do much of that during winter,” she said. Siti Nadia, 22, a Malaysian student here currently studying Mandarin as a second language, said that spring was her favourite season as it symbolised a fresh start. "After being rather inactive throughout winter due to the cold weather, the arrival of spring makes me feel revived, much like the flowers that bloom anew in spring.” -- BERNAMA