The Beijing Botanical Garden receives its peak number of visitors in spring as flowers, including about 40,000 tulips, are in full bloom in April and May. [Photo by Li Wenming/Xing Yi/China Daily]

The peony, with its large multi-layered petals, was a favorite subject in Chinese poems, particularly in the Tang Dynasty (618-907), when poets praised it as a symbol of wealth and fortune.

If you should miss the flowers that blossom in spring, the Chinese rose is there for viewers from May until October.

In summer, the lotus, the water lily and other aquatic flowers cover the lake.

There is also a conservatory, which keeps plants in different environments at the center of the park, next to the peach garden.

My favorites in the greenhouse are orchids, plumeria, cactus, and carnivorous plants.

Apart from nature, the park also has treats for history buffs.

The memorial of Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) novelist Cao Xueqin is one worth visiting.

Cao is the author of A Dream of the Red Mansions, which is considered one of the four greatest Chinese classical novels. The memorial is near the east gate of the park.

There, one can see three old Chinese scholar trees, each believed to be more than 400 years old.

The site is believed to be Cao's former residence, where he wrote his masterpiece in the 1750s.