Hangzhou City’s best season comes with fallen leaves

The sweet-scented osmanthus and yellow leaves fallen to the ground decorated the city’s autumn. It’s the best season for enjoying colourful leaves and taking photos of them. However, photographers may feel frustrated if cleaners sweep them away too soon. Some of them have made complaints with the government.

The city’s urban administration department has asked cleaners to keep as many fallen leaves as possible in 15 streets in the daytime for visitors. 

The streets are mainly those near scenic areas and parks, where visitors would love to see more fallen leaves. Will the fallen leaves make the city less tidy? The answer from the administration is “no.” With several years’ of road upgrading and regulation, the city has seen a thorough uplift. Its road classification cleaning project won the “China Human Settlements Example Award” in 2014.

Cleaners will not spray water or clean the roads in the daytime except for picking up garbage. They will spend time at night to clean them. Visitors are supposed to see fallen leaves again in the morning. 

Will beautiful fallen leaves affect traffic safety? The answer is “yes.” If fallen leaves piled up to two centimetres, cars may slide when driving on them, especially when there are frosts on the leaves. In addition, the cleaning will be much more difficult if the leaves are crushed, and they may block the sewage system. 

Following are the 15 roads:

Hubin Road is sided with phoenix trees, glossy privet trees, and architecture of ancient styles.

Nanshan Road features the overarching branches of trees on both sides as well as ancient relics.

Visitors to Beishan Street are mostly amazed by its picturesque natural views, history, rich culture and contemporary buildings. It is sided with Chinese parasol trees.

Over 7,000 osmanthus trees are the two sides of Manjuelong Road. It smells very well in the autumn and is extremely popular with visitors.

Yanggong Causeway is sided with Chinese parasol trees. Light and shade in the street is most enjoyable in the autumn.

Su Causeway is planted with flowers and bushes of all kinds. It is colourful all through the year. Rain or shine, the causeway looks appealing.

Bai Causeway has very clearly-divided four seasons, with peach flowers in spring, willows in summer, osmanthus in fall and snow in winter. The entire causeway is like a Chinese painting.

Longjing Road sees yellowing maple leaves in late autumn and early winter. The trees in Huangniling have leaves from yellow to red.

Huayuan Lane is a short waterside path to the south of Zhaohui Park in Xiacheng District. Both sides of the lane are planted with ginkgo trees. The best time for visiting is late November.

Tiancheng Road are sided with gingko trees, which add beauty with its elegant shape of leaves and smooth trunk.

Guangji Road are sided with tall camphor trees. Their huge canopies provide a natural shelter for people.

Mingyuan Road is the southern main path to Banshan National Forest Park. Its camphor trees separate the park from the urban hustle.

To the left of Zhijiang East Road is blue sky and Qiantang River, and to the right is busy traffic. Poplars, willows, Chinese redbuds, and coastal hibiscus match well with the tides, mud flats, wetlands and reeds.

Renmin Road of Xiaoshan is sided with gingko trees.

Jiangbin South Avenue is planted with aspens, and Chinese ash trees.