Fragrant Hills Park, about 30 kilometres northwest of Beijing, is one of the most favourite resourts on the city's outskirts. It covers an area of 160 hectares (395.36 acres).
In 1186, in the Jin Dynasty, the Fragrant Hills Temple was built and terraces, pavilions and pagodas were added by the subsequent dynasties. The area was later converted into a park and was named the Park of Tranquility and Pleasure.
Along with Yuanmingyuan (the Old Summer Palace) and the Summer Palace, the park was twice destroyed in 1860 and in 1900. The destruction was so serious that the reconstruction efforts made in the later years were never able to restore its original scale and splendour. After 1949, large-scale restoration took place and now the Fragrant Hills Park is a popular tourist destination in late autumn for holidaymakers when the smoke tree leaves redden. The brilliant foliage is the main attraction for visitors. No one is sure where the smoke trees originated. Legend has it that a south wind carried the seeds of the red-leaf trees to Beijing. Then the seeds survived, and as years passed they grew into a lovely forest. Another story goes that the smoke trees were transplanted to the area by Emperor Qianlong (1736-1795) in the Qing Dynasty.. In every November, the frosted leaves of these trees, along with the persimmons and maples, spread over the Fragrant Hills like a thick red blanket. For two centuries, it has been a resort for the residents in Beijing.
In 1997, an invasion of Mushi, a mosquito-like insect with an appetite for smoke tree leaves, left the frost withered, its beauty gone. Mushi suck the sap from the leaves, shriveling them and leaving ugly spots instead of rich greens and reds. To save the trees, the Beijing Garden Administration and Fragrant Hills Park launched a campaign against the seasonal pests. They built two roads through the smoke trees to allow workers to reach the trees and spray them with insecticide. Timely information combined with smoke from smudge pots completely eliminated Mushi there. Putting of nutritional supplement bars at the roots of 450 comparatively weak smoke trees not -only saved them but also ensured their healthy growth. Another piece of good news is that more than 90 per cent of 1998' s seedlings were alive and the newly introduced American Smoke Trees settled well there. This is due in large part to a recently built 2, 000-metre-long water pipeline through the forest, which keeps more than 6, 000 smoke trees from drought. Each year the gardeners regularly trim off twigs to increase the sunshine among the smoke trees. This is much more trouble for the gardeners, but it will greatly reduce the number of rotten leaves. The 79 hectares (197. 5 acres) of smoke trees make a green scarf for the Fragrant Hills, shining in the bright early autumn sunshine and their shimmering leaves are intact and thick. It attracts domestic and overseas visitors each late autumn with its charming blazing red leaves on the smoke trees.
