Pretty peach flowers bring back memories of ancient China
Print Edition
FIRST it’s plum blossoms, then cherry blossoms, followed by peach blossoms. Yep, it’s that time of year when flowers bloom and bring a rainbow of colors to parks around Shanghai.
Peach trees have been in the background of many legends and great moments of history. In the novel “Romance of the Three Kingdoms” by Luo Guanzhong, Liu Bei, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei swear an oath to save those in peril. In a peach blossom garden, the three men become sworn brothers.
Romantic and graceful, peach blossoms are beloved by almost everyone across China.
Pudong New Area has the best peach orchards in Shanghai. The district’s 25th annual Peach Blossom Festival is now under way and runs until the middle of April, or April 15.
“The festival is always about enjoying the beauty of nature,” says some district government official.
According to district tourism authorities, the infrastructure in suburban villages has been improved this year with more signs and better roads.
“This year the festival is cooperating with international brands like Coca-Cola and Ponds to bring fresh ideas to the event,” the official adds.
The festival takes places in four different villages, all accessible by taking Metro Line 16 and then transferring to a free shuttle bus.
“The Peach Blossom Land,” written by Tao Yuanming in 421 AD, is a story known to most teenagers today. The story follows a fisherman who sails upstream and discovers a forest of blossoming peach trees. He continues going upstream and finds a village isolated from the outside world. The fisherman stays in the joyful village for a week before leaving. Afterward, no matter how hard he tries to return he is unable to find it.
The story led to the expression “the peach spring beyond this world” (世外桃源, shiwai taoyuan) and is used to refer to an unexpectedly marvelous place of great beauty.
Now there is an orchard named after the story. The orchard has approximately 22,000 peach trees in over 50 varieties. Winding paths spread over the orchards and allow people to walk under the trees and get a close look at the blossoms.
Another story goes that Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD) imperial consort Yang Yuhuan adored peach blossoms, as did her husband Emperor Xuanzong. He built a garden for Yang, who is known as one of the four beauties of ancient China, with thousands of peach trees in it.
Every spring they would go to the garden. The emperor always picked one flower and inserted it into Yang’s hair. He told her the peach blossom symbolizes the beauty of women.
Ancient women even used water with peach petals in it to wash their face as a form of skin care.
Datuan Village in Pudong is the Peach Blossom Festival’s main venue and has an orchard measuring 31,893 square meters.
The village is decorated with many lanterns painted in vivid colors. When night comes, they will light the village, creating a surreal atmosphere.
A Taiwan Food Festival is coinciding with the Peach Blossom Festival and offers all kinds of culinary treats. The village also offers many souvenirs and snacks with peach blossom features.
Peach blossoms have also often been linked to love and romance in numerous stories. “Peach blossom luck” in China means receiving special affection from others.
Dating back to the Zhou Dynasty (11th century–256 BC), in the “Book of Songs” peach blossoms were used as a metaphor for beautiful young women. Poetry from the time often depicts romantic scenes of a lovely lady marrying her husband.
“Bitten peach” in ancient Chinese was a euphemism for a homosexual relationship.
The ruler of ancient Wei State, Duke Ling, was said to be fascinated by the beauty of his courtier Mizi Xia. One time, Mizi bit into a juicy peach and gave the remainder to the duke. The duke was happy that Mizi would save him some of the peach and the expression “love of the half-eaten peach never dies” was coined.
Datuan will be hosting some blind date activities for single men and women during the Peach Blossom Festival to link the present with the stories of days long gone.
Nanhui Peach Village is the city’s most mature peach orchard and is especially popular with children. There are many family activities including a small carnival, water world, and a barbecue and picnic area.
In Ang Lee’s move “Lust, Caution”, the beautiful village scene was taken in Pudong’s Xinchang ancient town. In this old water town, half of the buildings are at least 100 years ago while some are more than 350 years old.
There is a peach orchard crisscrossed by canals and streams in the town, where art performances and exhibitions are taking place during the festival.
The four villages
Nanhui Peach Village
Datuan Peach Orchard
Xinchang Peach Orchard
Haibing Peach Blossom Land
Other Spring Blossoms in Pudong
Shanghai Flower Port
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