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China's 2023 fall foliage map
By Yu Rong
China's 2023 fall foliage map

"I stop my cart to enjoy the maples in twilight hours, the frosty leaves are redder than spring flowers," reads a Chinese poem by Du Mu from the Tang Dynasty (618–907). The verses are an apt description of the fall foliage appearing in autumn.

During October, the fall season arrives to most of the northern part of China, as well as the country's southwest. There are many unique places to see the autumn foliage in China, so check out this 2023 fall foliage map and spring into action!

China's 2023 fall foliage map

Why do leaves turn red? According to a research published on American Scientist, the chlorophyll that these leaves employ to capture solar energy during photosynthesis is what gives them their green color for the most part of the year. To nourish the tree, the leaves transform energy into sugars.

As the season changes, the days get shorter and the temperature drops. As a tree receives less direct sunshine, its leaves lose their chlorophyll.

A layer of cells forms at the base of the leaf stalk when a tree gets ready to shed its leaves in the winter, which inhibits the flow of sugars back into the tree's body. Concentrated in the leaf, anthocyanin, a purplish red pigment that turns apples red and black grapes purple, is created when sugars in the cell sap combine with proteins.

Fragrant Hills Park, Beijing. /VCG
Fragrant Hills Park, Beijing. /VCG

Fragrant Hills Park, Beijing. /VCG

Taiqing Palace, Laoshan mountain, Shandong Province. /VCG
Taiqing Palace, Laoshan mountain, Shandong Province. /VCG

Taiqing Palace, Laoshan mountain, Shandong Province. /VCG

Saihanba National Forest Park, Chengde, Hebei Province. /VCG
Saihanba National Forest Park, Chengde, Hebei Province. /VCG

Saihanba National Forest Park, Chengde, Hebei Province. /VCG

Qixia Mountain, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province. /VCG
Qixia Mountain, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province. /VCG

Qixia Mountain, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province. /VCG

Yuelu Mountain, Changsha, Hunan Province. /VCG
Yuelu Mountain, Changsha, Hunan Province. /VCG

Yuelu Mountain, Changsha, Hunan Province. /VCG

Miyaluo Provincial Park, Chengdu, Sichuan Province. /VCG
Miyaluo Provincial Park, Chengdu, Sichuan Province. /VCG

Miyaluo Provincial Park, Chengdu, Sichuan Province. /VCG

The multicolors of autumn are gracing wide areas of China, with the warm sunshine and soft breeze adding luster to the golden season. Let's enjoy the autumn together!

(If you have specific expertise and want to contribute, or if you have a topic of interest that you'd like to share with us, please email us at nature@cgtn.com.)

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