Coloring the country

Autumn's seasonal splendor is unfolding across the nation.

The country has become a cornucopia of autumn colors, from its northern foothills to the South China Sea's islands, and from its western plateaus to its eastern farm fields.

Corn and rice are being harvested beneath ruby-red maple canopies. Thousands of paddies are ringed with green and yellow. Green lotus ponds and purple lavender adorn the mountainsides.

Harvests bring joy to farmers as they reap the products of their hard work and parents await the return of their children from the cities.

The way the season sweeps over the grasslands and forests have inspired paintings and poetry since ancient times - for good reason.

It's also a period in which to enjoy certain foods like lotus seeds, which traditional beliefs contend sustains health as the weather changes.

Indeed, fall's beauty extends beyond the visual and offers a feast for all the senses.