Chinese Viburnum in Yangzhou: The First Flower between Heaven and Earth

Located in southeastern China and neighboring Shanghai, Yangzhou is a famous city with a history of 2,500 years, a total area of 6,634 square kilometers and a population of 4.6 million. As a city featuring vibrant Chinese characteristics, including time-honored culture, a beautiful natural environment and convenient transportation, Yangzhou has been granted the UN Habitat Scroll of Honor Award. As a delicate andtiny city typical along the southern lower reaches of the Yangtze River, Yangzhou, in the exuberant and misty spring, is filled Chinese viburnums, a beautiful flower representing the area.

The viburnum is known as a "spectacular part of Yangzhou's charm, with a reputation greater than thousands of the world's other flowers". Since ancient times, Yangzhou has been an excellent destination for springtime excursions, with this charming and graceful flower attracting most of the visitors. The Legend of Chinese Viburnum As recorded in the Hearsay in Eastern Qi State (In Chinese:齐东野语; in Pinyin: Qi Dong Ye Yu) by Zhou Mi during Song Dynasty, during the Qingli Years (1041- 1048) of Emperor Renzong, the Chinese viburnum trees were transplanted from the Qionghua (Chinese Viburnum) Temple to the imperial garden in Kaifeng, a city in modern day Henan province. In the following year, the trees yielded no flowers at all, and even withered. However, after being sent back to Yangzhou, they bloomed as usual. During the Chunxi Years (1174-1189) of the Southern Song Dynasty, Emperor Xiaozong ordered the Chinese viburnum to be transplanted to the imperial garden in the capital city Lin'an (modern day Hangzhou).There, they once again unexpectedly withered and put forth no bloom. Therefore, they were sent back again to Yangzhou, where they revived and thrived. People praised the Chinese viburnum as sentient beings. Recommended Venues to Enjoy Chinese Viburnum Blossom Inside the yard in front of the Pingyuan Building at the Daming Temple lies the only ancient Chinese viburnum tree in Yangzhou.

Records show that, planted by Chan Master Daohong, the abbot of Daming Temple, during the years of the Kangxi Emperor in Qing Dynasty, this Chinese viburnum tree has a history of more than 300 years. At the end of 1980s, due to insect infestation, its trunk withered. After the insects were removed and the tree was returned to health, its prouted new branches and once again appeared with vitality before visitors. Strolling around the Buddhist chant-filled Daming Temple, visitors cannot help stopping to admire the uniqueness of this ancient Chinese viburnum tree. Every March or April, this ancient tree vigorously takes on a whole body of Chinese viburnums, appearing graceful and majestic. The flowers are as big as plates and as white as jade. With tender and yellow pistils and jade-white petals, they look like a mosaic of numerous tiny crystal pearls, swaying flirtatiously on the twigs and blooming elegantly under the spring sunshine. To the amazement of visitors, the petals around each yellow pistil consist of eight jade-white "tiny flowers", as if holding hands closely like sisters and dancing around the pistil like a whirling butterfly. This flower pattern, with one pistil in the middle and eight tiny flowers around, is rare and was thus known by the ancient people as "eight gathering goddesses", bringing to mind the image of eight fairies gathering together and dancing.

Currently, Chinese viburnum trees are present in many places in Yangzhou, mostly concentrated in the Chinese Viburnum Square near the eastern gate of the Slender West Lake, the Twentyfour Bridge on the Slender West Lake, Shugangxifeng in Pingshantang Road and the Qionghua (Chinese Viburnum) Garden at the Yangzhou Zoo. These are the best venues to enjoy the Chinese viburnum blossom. Chinese viburnums can also be appreciated in other places in Yangzhou, including various gardens, the Scenery Belt of the Ancient Canal, Wenchang Road, Qionghua (Chinese Viburnum) Temple, and Runyang Road. In Yangzhou, Chinese viburnums are the plants most commonly seen in gardens, on the sides of roads and in concentrated areas of vegetation.