Shanghai's scenic boulevards have always been ideal places for leisure activities. [Photo provided to China Daily]

An integral part of everyday life

French planes, despite their name, actually originated from England. British people had cultivated hybrids of the species in medieval times and they were then called "London Planes". The trees produce leaves in the shape of the palm of a hand. Plane leaves look very similar to maple leaves.

These trees were later introduced to France and the French subsequently showed a stronger inclination to the species than the British. After making its way to Shanghai, the French plane was later introduced to other Chinese cities such as Nanjing, Hangzhou, Wuhan and Qingdao.

However, Shanghai residents are known to have the strongest affinity for the trees. In 2011, the relocation of some 150 plane trees on Maoming and Shimen roads to facilitate the construction of downtown metro lines was faced with numerous complaints from residents.

Since 2012, the Shanghai government has been recommending the best boulevards to view autumn leaves every year and these places would always be swarmed with locals, many with their sophisticated cameras in hand.

Except for winter when the trees become bare, the leaves from these plane trees provide the cityscape with a dash of color in other seasons. In summer, the leaves create a vibrant green canopy for people to seek respite from the scorching heat. Before 2000, when air conditioning was still not a popular fixture in China, it was common to see pajamas-clad residents fanning themselves under a plane tree during summer.

But it is during autumn when the magic all begins. It is a joy to watch the leaves gracefully spiral in the wind before they finally land on the ground to imbue the landscape with mesmerizing hues of red and yellow.

Children in Shanghai have always seemed to be particularly fond of treading on the fallen leaves and the sound it makes evokes warm childhood memories for many people. Because of this colorful spectacle created by the autumn leaves of the plane trees, city authorities have since last year decided to keep the leaves on streets with light traffic instead of having them swept away.