It is said that when Wu Zetian was in power, she liked planting flowers and plants very much. But every winter, the flowers in the back garden wither, and their eyes are full of dead branches and leaves. Therefore, Wu Zetian made an imperial edict to transfer flowers to Beijing and hold a flower feast. However, on snowy days, only Chimonanthus praecox blooms in the back garden, and the other flowers are still closed. In a rage, Wu Zetian expelled the peony from the capital and sealed only two kinds of flowers and plants: one is gold (wintersweet) and the other is silver (silver willow). The sealed wintersweet was brought back to his hometown of Yanling by Yao, the florist. Since then, Chimonanthus praecox has settled in Yanling, becoming a local specialty flower.
There is another legend about Yanling Chimonanthus praecox. According to legend, a long time ago, a rare gale blew in Bianjing (Kaifeng). It's getting dark, sand and stones are flying, people close their doors and shops are closed. Where the wind passed, trees were broken and walls were destroyed, and even the shadow wall in front of the emperor's bedroom was blown down, so that every move of the emperor and his concubine was unobstructed. The emperor thought it was immoral, and the restoration was afraid of going against God's will. The Prime Minister Zuo smiled and recommended Yanling Chimonanthus praecox, saying that Yanling Chimonanthus praecox can be hidden. Second, you can shade the sun in summer; Three wintersweet blossoms in the New Year are golden in color, which is auspicious for the Huang family. Do three things at once. The emperor repeatedly said seconds, smiled, and could hit the target accurately. Yanling county magistrate did not dare to neglect the imperial edict, and personally selected the first-class century-old wintersweet and superb gardeners to send to Bianjing.
Chimonanthus praecox was carefully grafted, trimmed and kneaded into a screen nearly ten feet high and eight feet wide, just the same size as the original screen wall. In winter, the snowy and golden Chimonanthus praecox is like a string of golden bells hanging upside down. The golden fragrance is overflowing and refreshing. The emperor is overjoyed and exclaims, "It's a beautiful country, the first flower in the world." Since then, tens of thousands of wintersweet plants have been planted in the palace for the royal family to visit, and the value of wintersweet has doubled. It became a symbol of nobility and status, and also a gift planted and given to each other by gentry. Since then, Yanling wintersweet has become famous all over the world.
The legend is charming, which adds to the nobility of Yanling Chimonanthus praecox. In the dead of winter, Yanling Chimonanthus praecox "ten thousand flowers dare to grow fragrant snow, and one tree leads the spring alone". Invite three or five friends to walk through the snow in Xun Mei and travel hand in hand, which is full of interest. My friend, if you don't know "the first county of flowers and trees in China", if you don't know the largest flower production and marketing base in the north, let's start by knowing Yanling Chimonanthus praecox, which will make you get drunk on impulse. ...