Beijing - a personal journey of discovery amidst rapid change

Throughout history the hills in many ways have acted as a natural defence for those often densely populated lands of southerly China. Broken only by a few strategic passes such as Badaling, the mountains are crossed by one of the world's most iconic constructions, the Great Wall of China.

However the mountains also can generate negative or positive atmospheric conditions. In warmer months air may slowly drift up from the south of China to be stopped by the hills, leading to a spike in poor atmospheric conditions for Beijing and surrounding regions. It is when colder air over Inner Mongolia and northern Hebei descends across those high ranges that any lingering grey may be blown away to leave the city with lovely blue days. However, such strong winds may also bring down dust from the desert in springtime. Thankfully that is now not so frequent an occurrence compared to earlier times. This is partly thanks to the creation of forest belts, the 'Green Great Wall', as a barrier against such airborne fine sands.