Tulips accent floral spring
Print Edition
FOR many people, the annual tulip festival in Daning Park is the most welcome sign that spring has finally arrived.
More than 2 million tulips are in peak bloom this week, blanketing an area about the size of six football fields with a carpet of vibrant colors.
There are more than 15 different species to enjoy. Clusters of red and orange blooms shine like luminous bulbs in the sunlight. White and baby pink blossoms have the delicacy of a china saucer, and the rare deep purple blooms, often referred to as black tulips, add a touch of mystery and the exotic to the floral display.
Chen Yiming, 63, said he has come to the park for each of the last three years to behold the floral canopy.
“I come with my camera,” he said. “The tulips tell me that spring is arriving.”
The park is beautifully landscaped to show the flowers at their best. The park is divided into six sections, each specializing in certain cultivars. Some of the beds are laid out in designs, like a human face or umbrellas.
An outing in the park may also include sampling snacks at a Taiwan-style food market.
The tulip exhibition will last until April 4. The park is open from 8am to 6pm. The admission fee is 20 yuan (US$3).
Traffic police have set aside nearly 2,000 parking spots for visitors, but it’s still far from enough to satisfy the crush of those wanting to see the flowers. Authorities are advising visitors to take the Metro or buses to the park.
Contrary to popular belief, tulips didn’t originate in Holland, though that nation has become synonymous with the flower. There are conflicting histories of the origin. Some say the bulbs were first cultivated in Persia in the 10th century.
Zhou Liang, deputy manager of Daning Park Management Co, has his own version. Tulips, he said, actually originated in the Tianshan Mountains of northwestern China and were carried to Europe by the Turks in the 16th century.
But everyone agrees that tulips didn’t become a cultivating sensation until they reached the Netherlands. In fact, frenzy over the bulbs grew to a fevered pitch in Holland between 1634 and 1637, creating the famous “tulip mania” where the bulbs became so expensive they were traded as currency. The speculative bubble burst suddenly in what was one of the world’s first financial market collapses.
The only mania left today is an enduring public admiration for a truly unique flower.
“Very few people know that actually China has the world’s best skills in cultivating tulips,” Zhou said.
The bulbs are planted in autumn because they need a cold winter to create the beautiful blooms. To bridge the time between tulip seasons, Daning Park will start planting sulphur cosmos in early April. Those flowers will come into bright yellow bloom in June and again in October.
If it’s spring flowers you’re after, Jing’an Sculpture Park is another great venue to visit. The park is now awash with pink cherry blossoms and crabapple flowers.
The park has a reputation for seasonal floral displays. In November, visitors will be enchanted by an autumn palette of golden ginkgo and red maple leaves.
Jing’an also takes great pride in its floral environment, from public parks and street-wide pots to rooftop gardens.
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