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Plum blossoms fill the air with sweet scent
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PLUM blossoms are beloved both as a symbol of winter and a harbinger of spring. They bloom in the cold while most other plants are seemingly lifeless and well before many other blossoms appear.
The flowers are also a symbol of resilience and perseverance in the face of adversity and have been used as a metaphor for revolutionary struggle.
But the blossoms represent just one charming aspect of plum trees. The gnarled trunks and oddly shaped branches have long featured in Chinese paintings.
Hangzhou has plenty of places worth visiting for the plum blossoms alone. Here are four recommendations.
Solitary Hill
It has been well-known for its plum trees since the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907) and is traditionally one of the top three sites in the city to gaze upon the pretty blossoms. Several celebrated poets, including Bai Juyi, also the former mayor of Hangzhou, have praised the area’s beauty.
In the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127), the hill and its plum trees were famous for the Plum Wife and Crane Son legend. According to the tale, Lin Bu was indifferent to fame and gain, content to follow the lifestyle of ancient people. He led a poor life, but experienced inner peace.
During his late years Lin built a humble home near West Lake and at the back of Solitary Hill. For more than 20 years he never ventured into the main city.
Lin also did not marry. Apart from composing poems and painting in his spare time, he concentrated on raising cranes and planting plum trees to enjoy their blossoms. Thus, people said that the plum blossoms were his wives and the cranes his sons.
Crane Pavilion and its surrounding areas are the best places for appreciating plum blooms in early spring.
During the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279), Solitary Hill served as an imperial garden and more plum trees were planted.
The hill features a nice assortment of red and white plum blossoms with a few purple ones sprinkled into the mix. There is also one species in which two flowers grow on the same base.
Lingfeng Peak in Hangzhou Botanical Garden
Experts estimate the “ocean of plum blossoms” at Hangzhou Botanical Garden will last until March 20.
The garden near West Lake is convenient to reach and a good option for tourists who don’t have much time when visiting Hangzhou.
During the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period (AD 907-979), the court built Lingfeng Temple on the mountaintop with hundreds of plum trees surrounding it. But over many years, the temple fell into disrepair and the trees died.
About 300 plum trees were planted in the area during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) while a new temple was built in the 1980s.
The Hangzhou government has since rebuilt several temple structures and planted anther 5,000 plum trees to restore the original environment of the mountain.
Today, there are 10,000 plum trees of 80 species growing in the botanical garden. Be on the lookout for a rare species called sinocalycanthus chinensis. It has pink pedals and yellow stamen and is expected to bloom by the end of the month as it prefers warmer weather.
Plum bonsai trees are also exhibited in the botanical garden.
Xixi Wetland
The best part of appreciating plum blossoms in a wetland is a small boat tour.
The wetland boasts almost 20,000 plum trees including species with pink and red blossoms. Bamboos, reeds and traditional architecture round out the scenery nicely.
The suggested route is to take a boat. The guide knows where to drop visitors so they can explore the old buildings and wander among the plum trees.
Traditional royal attire can be rented for photos while tea ceremony and tai chi shows are taking place this month.
Chao Mountain
There are only a few days left to appreciate the “fragrant white ocean” scene at Chao Mountain. Around 50,000 trees, mostly sweet-smelling white and yellow plum flowers, are in full blossom. The pink and deep-red blossoms will open when the temperature rises.
Chao Mountain is one of the three traditional places to appreciate plum blossoms in Jiangnan, or the southern region of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River.
The plum trees on Chao Mountain are famous for their striking shapes. The mountain is home to two of the five precious species of plum trees in ancient China: Tangmei planted in the Tang Dynasty and Songmei planted in the Song Dynasty (960-1279).
The flowers of both species are now in bloom.
Chao Mountain’s plum blossoms are distinctive as each flower has six petals, while most plum blossoms elsewhere have five.
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