Spring has arrived and cottonwood poplar trees are releasing their annual bombardment of fluffy white seeds across the capital. So why is there so much of this sneeze-inducing white stuff?

A window on today's China for Southeast Asia
Spring has arrived and cottonwood poplar trees are releasing their annual bombardment of fluffy white seeds across the capital. So why is there so much of this sneeze-inducing white stuff?
A list of 10 places to experience the “sea of flowers” in the suburbs of Beijing has been popular on the Chinese Internet recently. Netizens call them “the best places to embody Beijing’s spring charm.”