Winter came early to Beijing this year on Sunday, November 7th. Yesterday we all woke up to a very wet and foggy day, with waves of rain coming down in the afternoon. By the evening time the temperature had dropped, and finally the drizzly rain started freezing, giving us a snowy evening that stayed all the next day! It’s quite ironic, as I was just out taking autumn photos in Beijing this week.
Seeing as this surprise snow day happened on a Sunday and I had some free time, I decided to venture to one of my favorite sites in Beijing: the Forbidden City Northeast Corner Tower (also called the Forbidden City Turret and Moat). It’s an iconic spot for photos in Beijing usually, but to see it covered in snow is a unique opportunity.
In Chinese they have a phrase that one of my WeChat friends shared with me: 瑞雪兆丰年 which means “a timely snow promises a good harvest.” So this must be a good thing right!?
Side note: The central heating just came on in Beijing, which is perfect timing for this unexpectedly cold day. In the northern parts of China, most buildings will have central heating that is turned on at a certain date when winter comes. This is a unique season feature of China – the south of China doesn’t have central heating at all.
Here are some photos from the snowy day in Beijing – some of the Forbidden City Turret and Moat alone, but of course ones with me in it 😉
Winter Activities in Beijing
Now that the winter season is approaching in Beijing, it’s time for those classic Beijing winter activities (COVID permitting of course…). Here is a list of some of my favorite things to do in winter in Beijing: Beijing Winter Travel: Things To Do and Where To Go.
Maybe after this snow day the temperature will rise a bit and we’ll have a few more weeks before the brutal Beijing winter really hits – at least I’m hoping so!
Rachel Meets China 
Wow ! I have never seen snow there this of year. Lucky you have winter clothes. The Forbidden City is still an amazing site to see during the snow falling.
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