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Osmanthus flowers paint the hills with color
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TANG Dynasty (AD 618-907) poet Bai Juyi once wrote a poem about a beautiful scene of golden flowers and his hopes of returning to Hangzhou to gaze upon blooming osmanthus once again.
Little did he know that his poem would lure streams of tourists to Hangzhou every autumn as they also seek to look upon the gorgeous flowers. In 1983, osmanthus was designated as the city flower of Hangzhou.
Since the flowers only bloom for a short period in the autumn, it’s best to seize the day and get out and smell them before they are gone. Shanghai Daily recommends three places featuring lush osmanthus trees with a rich perfume that scents the air. Remember, the peak time to see the flowers is usually between late September and early October.
Meijiawu
梅家坞
Meijiawu features restaurants and teahouses on farms to accommodate tourists flocking to see the osmanthus flowers. Weather permitting, the eateries place tables under the trees so diners can drink a cup of tea or play mahjong beneath the fragrant flowers. They also serve traditional dim sum made of osmanthus flowers.
Fried rice cake with osmanthus sugar is especially popular. The sugar is made from ordinary sugar and dried osmanthus flowers.
Mix the osmanthus sugar with rice powder to make the rice cakes. The dessert is served when lightly fried and topped with more brown-and-yellow osmanthus sugar.
The sugar is extremely sweet and stimulates the appetite. The golden rice cakes are sweet, sticky, soft and smooth.
Address: 1 Meiling Rd S.
How to get there: Take bus Y3, and get off at Yuhuang Hill.
Manjuelong
满觉陇
This mountainous area is dotted with osmanthus trees.
Many residents believe Manjuelong is the best place to view and admire osmanthus as there are more than 7,000 trees along the mountain paths.
In 1984, Sweet Osmanthus Rain at Manjuelong Village was named one of the “new 10 must-see scenes at West Lake.”
In recent years, numerous hostels and guest houses have been established in the area, boosting the number of visitors. Teahouses and restaurants also provide a place to rest after walking around and looking at the flowers.
How to get there: Take bus K4, K504, Y3 or K5, and get off at Hangzhou Zoo.
Lingyin Temple
灵隐寺
In Chinese traditional folklore, a man on the moon named Wu Gang has to cut down an osmanthus tree in front of the Moon Palace as divine punishment for violating the law of heaven.
Back on earth, a Lingyin Temple monk hears rain drops falling around midnight. The next morning he finds the yard covered with fragrant flower petals and seeds. An older monk comes out and says these may be the osmanthus flowers dropping from the moon as Wu cuts down the tree. The two collect the flowers and seeds and bury them around the temple.
By the following autumn, the seeds have grown into blossoming osmanthus trees. Thereafter, osmanthus trees have thrived in Lingyin Temple and the sweet smell of the flowers permeates the air every autumn. The monks also name them golden, red, and silver osmanthus according to the petal colors.
Poet Song Zhiwen also wrote about the beauty of the osmanthus trees at Lingyin Temple during the Tang Dynasty. To this day, locals traditionally visit the Buddhist temple in the fall to see the flowers.
Address: No. 1, Fayun Lane
How to get there: Take bus Y1, Y2, Y4, Y13, 7, 807 or 837, and get off at Lingyin Temple.
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