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Located at the foot of the Xishan Mountain, the temple is an ideal retreat to sit under some of the world's oldest ginkgo trees and appreciate their golden leaves.
"The day-and-night temperature differences these days make the color of the leaves fresh and beautiful," she said.
Visitors take snap shots of ginkgo leaves in Dajuesi Temple. Wang Jing known as "living fossils", the ginkgo trees were densely growing in North America, Asia and Europe 270 million years ago, but now they can only be found in China and Japan.
The oldest tree in the temple was planted in the Liao Dynasty (907-1125). Most ginkgo woods are more than 100 years old.
Sitting in the yard of the temple teahouse, sipping a cup of green tea and appreciating the peace was the favorite pastime of the late General Zhu De, one of the founding members of China.
Zhu often stayed here for a couple of days to relax, according to Li Xue, from Beijing Administration of Cultural Heritage.
Besides coming here for the golden butterflies, visitors can also climb the Xishan Mountain nearby, where the rolling hills here are said to resemble a sleeping lion and offer a perfect viewing angle to overlook the downtown city.
"I love Beijing's autumn more than any other season of the year. We feel more refreshed every year we came back from here," a 62-year-old woman surnamed Xu told METRO after she and her husband returned from their hiking.
The viewing period lasts until mid-November, according to Sun Rongfen, director of the temple's managing office.
Autumn is also the best season in Beijing for hiking.
The "Ginkgo Tree Boulevard", next to the east and north gates of Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Haidian district, is also popular.
Other ancient temples such as Tanzhesi Temple, and Dabeisi Temple at Badachu Park all have famous ancient ginkgo trees.
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