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Where to view plum blossoms that brave cold and herald spring
By Xu Wenwen |
February 19, 2013, Tuesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
PLUM blossoms, which open despite winter cold and snow, are known as the "gentlemen of winter" in Chinese culture.
The flowers symbolize strength, resilience and renewal. Since ancient times, viewing and appreciating plum blossoms have not only been entertainment but also a reminder of the importance of bearing hardship.
Beloved both as a symbol of winter and a harbinger of spring, the flower is also a metaphor for revolutionary struggle.
In the city of Hangzhou, famous for its culture and literati, people have cultivated plum trees for generations.
Shanghai Daily visits four traditional places for plum blossom appreciation.
Solitude Hill
Solitude Hill stands on a plum tree-covered island in the northwest part of West Lake. Every winter visitors throng the island to see the plum blossoms, include some rare varieties such as purple and those with green stamen and pistil.
Legend has it that poet Lin Bu of the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127) lived alone on the hill for much of his later life, calling the plum trees his wife and the cranes his children - symbolizing his virtue and nobility.
Nearby scenic sites include Autumn Moon over the Calm Lake, one of the top 10 scenic sites of West Lake, Bai Causeway and the Xiling Seal Society.
Admission: free
Transport: Bus No. Y10 (get off at Xiling Bridge stop); bus No. 850 (Zhejiang Museum stop); buses No. 51, 7, 27, Y9, Y2, 118 (Xinxin Restaurant stop)
Chaoshan Mountain
More than 50,000 plum trees grow on scenic Chaoshan Mountain in suburban Yuhang District. The landscape has been compared to a fragrant, white ocean.
Chaoshan Mountain is one of the three traditional places to appreciate plum blossoms in Jiangnan, the region south of the lower reaches of Yangtze River.
These plum blossoms are distinctive, each has six petals, while most plum blossoms have five petals.
The mountain contains two of the five famous species of plum trees in ancient China, the Tangmai planted in the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907) and the Songmei planted in the Song Dynasty (960-1279).
Most of the trees are in full blossom, including pink, deep red, white and yellow, with blossoms 1 to 3 centimeters in diameter.
The appeal is not only the blossoms, but also the gnarled trunks and branches, typical subjects of Chinese paintings.
Since 2008, the local government has invested more than 1.3 billion yuan (US$206 million) in the scenic area, restoring old buildings, building roads and paths and planting more plum trees.
Admission: 60 yuan
Transport: From Shanghai: G60 (Shanghai-Hangzhou) Expressway - Yuhang exit - 09 Provincial Expressway - Chaoshan Mountain
From Hangzhou: Metro Line 1 to Linping stop, take bus from Linping to Tangxi, get off at Chaoshan Mountain Scenic Area.
Xixi Wetlands
The prime season for plum blossoms has already started in Xixi Wetlands, China's first national wetlands park.
Clouds of yellow, pink and red blossoms cover the 100-acre plum tree area.
Visitors can take a boat through the wetlands, enjoying the multicolored flowers, golden grass and reeds - and their inverted images in the water.
The wetlands cover 11 square kilometers on the western outskirts of Hangzhou.
The park holds a Dragon Boat Festival every year (this year in May) and a Persimmon Festival from September to October.
Address: 518 Tianmushan Rd
Hours: 8:30am-5:30pm
Admission: 80 yuan
Transport: Buses No. K356, K193,K310, K86 (get off at the entrance to Zhoujia Village)
Ling Peak Park
The Hangzhou Botanical Garden contains more than 8,000 plum trees in more than 50 varieties of reds, pinks and whites inside Ling Peak Park. This is the traditional spot to appreciate plum blossoms.
The park grounds used to contain a temple. Hundreds of plum trees were planted in the area but over time the temple fell into disrepair and the trees died.
In 1988 the local government planted 5,000 plum trees that flourish today. It rebuilt several temple structures to create a park of natural beauty and old-style architecture.
In addition to plum trees, the park contains 150 bonsai of plum and wintersweet, all cultivated from old trees. These are small, less than a meter tall and especially gnarled and crooked, appealing to an Oriental aesthetic that values the tortuous branches as highly as the blossoms. Many of the bonsai have won prizes in national competitions.
Atop Ling Peak are two pavilions providing a bird's eye view of the area and the city in good weather.
Other early spring flowers such as baby primroses, azaleas and kumquat blossoms also welcome visitors. Chinese knots and Spring Festival couplets decorate entrances to the park.
An exhibition of 50 paintings of plum blossoms by famous artists is underway through March 20.
A winter plant exhibition is also underway, including red camellias, narcissus, hyacinth, coral berries and fire thorn (pyracantha berries).
Address: 1 Taoyuanling Rd
Admission: 10 yuan
Transport: Buses No. 28/K28, 82/K82, 15/K15 (get off at Yuquan stop); Buses No. 7, 27 (Qu Yuan Feng He stop)
The flowers symbolize strength, resilience and renewal. Since ancient times, viewing and appreciating plum blossoms have not only been entertainment but also a reminder of the importance of bearing hardship.
Beloved both as a symbol of winter and a harbinger of spring, the flower is also a metaphor for revolutionary struggle.
In the city of Hangzhou, famous for its culture and literati, people have cultivated plum trees for generations.
Shanghai Daily visits four traditional places for plum blossom appreciation.
Solitude Hill
Solitude Hill stands on a plum tree-covered island in the northwest part of West Lake. Every winter visitors throng the island to see the plum blossoms, include some rare varieties such as purple and those with green stamen and pistil.
Legend has it that poet Lin Bu of the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127) lived alone on the hill for much of his later life, calling the plum trees his wife and the cranes his children - symbolizing his virtue and nobility.
Nearby scenic sites include Autumn Moon over the Calm Lake, one of the top 10 scenic sites of West Lake, Bai Causeway and the Xiling Seal Society.
Admission: free
Transport: Bus No. Y10 (get off at Xiling Bridge stop); bus No. 850 (Zhejiang Museum stop); buses No. 51, 7, 27, Y9, Y2, 118 (Xinxin Restaurant stop)
Chaoshan Mountain
More than 50,000 plum trees grow on scenic Chaoshan Mountain in suburban Yuhang District. The landscape has been compared to a fragrant, white ocean.
Chaoshan Mountain is one of the three traditional places to appreciate plum blossoms in Jiangnan, the region south of the lower reaches of Yangtze River.
These plum blossoms are distinctive, each has six petals, while most plum blossoms have five petals.
The mountain contains two of the five famous species of plum trees in ancient China, the Tangmai planted in the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907) and the Songmei planted in the Song Dynasty (960-1279).
Most of the trees are in full blossom, including pink, deep red, white and yellow, with blossoms 1 to 3 centimeters in diameter.
The appeal is not only the blossoms, but also the gnarled trunks and branches, typical subjects of Chinese paintings.
Since 2008, the local government has invested more than 1.3 billion yuan (US$206 million) in the scenic area, restoring old buildings, building roads and paths and planting more plum trees.
Admission: 60 yuan
Transport: From Shanghai: G60 (Shanghai-Hangzhou) Expressway - Yuhang exit - 09 Provincial Expressway - Chaoshan Mountain
From Hangzhou: Metro Line 1 to Linping stop, take bus from Linping to Tangxi, get off at Chaoshan Mountain Scenic Area.
Xixi Wetlands
The prime season for plum blossoms has already started in Xixi Wetlands, China's first national wetlands park.
Clouds of yellow, pink and red blossoms cover the 100-acre plum tree area.
Visitors can take a boat through the wetlands, enjoying the multicolored flowers, golden grass and reeds - and their inverted images in the water.
The wetlands cover 11 square kilometers on the western outskirts of Hangzhou.
The park holds a Dragon Boat Festival every year (this year in May) and a Persimmon Festival from September to October.
Address: 518 Tianmushan Rd
Hours: 8:30am-5:30pm
Admission: 80 yuan
Transport: Buses No. K356, K193,K310, K86 (get off at the entrance to Zhoujia Village)
Ling Peak Park
The Hangzhou Botanical Garden contains more than 8,000 plum trees in more than 50 varieties of reds, pinks and whites inside Ling Peak Park. This is the traditional spot to appreciate plum blossoms.
The park grounds used to contain a temple. Hundreds of plum trees were planted in the area but over time the temple fell into disrepair and the trees died.
In 1988 the local government planted 5,000 plum trees that flourish today. It rebuilt several temple structures to create a park of natural beauty and old-style architecture.
In addition to plum trees, the park contains 150 bonsai of plum and wintersweet, all cultivated from old trees. These are small, less than a meter tall and especially gnarled and crooked, appealing to an Oriental aesthetic that values the tortuous branches as highly as the blossoms. Many of the bonsai have won prizes in national competitions.
Atop Ling Peak are two pavilions providing a bird's eye view of the area and the city in good weather.
Other early spring flowers such as baby primroses, azaleas and kumquat blossoms also welcome visitors. Chinese knots and Spring Festival couplets decorate entrances to the park.
An exhibition of 50 paintings of plum blossoms by famous artists is underway through March 20.
A winter plant exhibition is also underway, including red camellias, narcissus, hyacinth, coral berries and fire thorn (pyracantha berries).
Address: 1 Taoyuanling Rd
Admission: 10 yuan
Transport: Buses No. 28/K28, 82/K82, 15/K15 (get off at Yuquan stop); Buses No. 7, 27 (Qu Yuan Feng He stop)
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