Imperial Fragrance Sightseeing & Picking Garden

　　The picking garden is planning to set up a farm tool exhibition, focusing mainly on fruit picking with some educational elements, making it quite suitable for parents to bring their children. The venue is free for group activities. The scenery during picking is also quite nice—the garden is especially spacious, with views on both the east and west sides. For example, if you walk westward, you can overlook the “Clear Snow on Western Hills” scenic view, and looking east, you can gaze at Jade Spring Mountain in the distance.

　　The garden’s signboard is uniquely designed, featuring the three characters “Imperial Fragrance Garden” mounted on three agricultural sieves as the base. On either side of the gate stand imitation grain silos several meters high. The person in charge explained that this symbolizes a bountiful harvest. Interestingly, there are even heated kang beds inside the silos. It turns out the owner plans to use them as accommodation for visitors in the future, and more such silo-style lodging areas will be built in the open spaces.

　　There are some farm tools on display in the garden, which feels quite novel. The farm tool exhibition hasn’t started yet, but I’ve already seen many interesting items, such as various rotary mills and hand pumps. The owner said that during the picking season, they will put up explanatory signs detailing the origins and evolution of these tools.

　　The scale of fruit picking in the garden is also quite large, with wide-open views and a rich variety of fruits available. The cherry trees are divided into three areas. The ones near the road are mature fruit-bearing trees, with some early-ripening varieties ready for picking. Heading east to the middle area, the most common cherry variety is the Weng cherry, which features large fruit, soft juicy flesh, high sweetness, and good storage capacity. These are not yet fully ripe and will have to wait until early June. There is also a small area planted with small cherry trees that haven’t borne fruit yet—it’ll be another four or five years before they do, which makes one realize just how much effort goes into enjoying a single cherry.

　　Related Information

　　Address: East side of Hanhe Road, Xiangshan, Haidian District.

　　010-62590135

　　Price: 80 yuan per jin, no admission fee.

　　Picking Season: May 20 – June 10

　　Transportation: By car, take West Fourth Ring Road to Sihaiqiao Exit, head toward Xiangshan, turn right onto Hanhe Road, and drive 1.5 km. It’s located opposite Wan’an Cemetery. By bus, take bus lines 331, 505, 634, 630, 特5, 696, or Yuntong 112 to Wan’an Cemetery Station. Walk 10 minutes along Hanhe Road to reach the site opposite Wan’an Cemetery.

　　Facilities: There are hand-washing basins upon entry. During the picking season, mineral water and cigarettes will be available for sale. Notably, mineral water is sold at a fixed price of 1 yuan per bottle, with no price hikes. There will also be four to five portable toilets available for use. The garden can accommodate up to 200 cars.

　　Other: In addition to cherries, the garden will offer a variety of fruits for picking from June to November, such as apricots, plums, peaches, strawberries, and winter jujubes. Apricots will be ripe in June.