Capital steeped in autumn splendor

Residents of the Tiantongyuan neighborhood enjoy morning exercise by staging a group dance.[Photo by Kuang Linhua/China Daily]

In the autumn, Beijing's cloudy, foggy days of summer are drifting away in the winds from the north, which cool its neighborhoods, drive away the smog and blow colorful leaves around the city's thoroughfares.

Red maple leaves and yellow ginko and poplar leaves color many of Beijing's landmark attractions, adding a festive flare to the Palace Museum, the Summer Palace, the Temple of Heaven, the Fragrant Hills and the Great Wall.

Ginko leaves, which cover the ground in autumn, turn a common street - Diaoyutai Boulevard - into a famous seasonal attraction. The golden foliage is a magnet for photographers and couples taking wedding photos.