Our selection for today is "Autumn in the Ancient Capital" (故都的秋) a short piece of non-fiction written by Yu Dafu (郁达夫, 1895-1945) that describes the author's love for autumn in Beijing. This story is often taught in creative writing classes, and what's notable about it is the way it describes Beijing in intimate detail. Part of the story's seduction might be due to its wonderful use of adjectives, particularly as verb complements. Internalize this and watch the quality of your own writing spike upwards.

As for the subject matter? A quick office poll confirms that late autumn is our preferred time of year around here. There's something special about a quiet walk through the hutongs on those near-winter days when your breath almost hangs in the air and Beijing becomes like a city out of time.