Eric's Beijing Diary

You really can't beat a North China autumn. I'm a bit early, because technically the first day of fall is September 21st if my memory serves me right. But practically speaking, autumn in Beijing starts earlier than that. I don't say that every day in the autumn is sunny. But it really is a pleasant time of the year for the most part. This is especially true if there has been a rain or a little breeze to wash the air. Beijing is not like Western China that way. The government of China has a lot invested in trying to clean up the air for the Olympics. But China also wants to develop the automotive industry. Every day, a thousand new cars are being added to the already strangled traffic in this city. Sure glad I don't have one. Nevertheless, the fall of the year is very pretty. If there is no breeze for several days, then the air gets a little heavy. But I live Northwest of the city, and the prevailing wind is from the Northwest, so it doesn't take long for the fresh air from the countryside to reach me if a breeze comes up.