West Lake’s Flowers for Every Season

West Lake is big.Really big.Every drop of it is steeped in history，poetry，commerce，and nature.And，while all that might be very interesting，it’s hardly helpful on a bike ride or a hike along the many paths that crisscross the shore.Over the years，from entrepreneurs to emperors，great care has been taken to manicure West Lake in a myriad of flora to stun poets and peasants alike.And，if you’re fascinated by all things floral，there’s a flower for every season in Hangzhou.

Winter Plum Blossoms

Winter isn’t known for being the best time to catch flowers in full bloom，but the plum blossoms of Hangzhou are an exception.With the rest of the city bundled up in heavy coats for the cold weather ahead，the plum blossoms come out in force on the New Year（Gregorian and Chinese），with perfect viewing in January and February.The best place to see them is in the northwestern corner of West Lake at Gushan Hill；the famous Northern Song Dynasty poet Lin Bu spent his time planting plum trees on Gushan Hill and left in his wake the immortal lines，”When everything has faded，they alone shine forth，encroaching on the charms of smaller gardens.”So in love was he with the plum blossoms that people often commented that the plum blossoms were his wife and that the cranes were his children.Lovers of this flower can also find it blooming wildly in the Hangzhou Botanical Garden（杭州植物园）and in the Xixi National Wetland Park（西溪国家湿地公园）一as well as numerous spots throughout the city.The plum blossoms are so cherished in winter that it’s become somewhat of a crowded tradition to go and see the plum blossoms at Lingfeng Peak or Chaoshan Hill for Chinese New Year.And who can blame them？There are few sights more amazing than a forest of flowers covered in snow.

qingquang

See author's posts