Latest Analysis of the Flower Language and Legend of the Kalanchoe
The flower language of the kalanchoe is great fortune and prosperity, longevity, and auspicious blessings; it means blessing and good luck, and is an ideal potted flower for gifting to relatives, friends and elders. Besides its blessing flower language, the kalanchoe also has a beautiful legend.
Legend says that long ago, this mountain was a “fairyland” governed by the Jade Emperor. On the mountain, flowers were fresh and grass was green all year round, butterflies swarmed in abundance, and patches of kalanchoe bloomed red and fragrant. At that time, this mountain was called “Wanxiang Mountain”, and at its peak was a “Dragon King Pool”, whose water had three colors: a layer of black water on top, green water in the middle, and white water at the bottom. Legend says that every year on the third day of the third month, after the Queen Mother of the West finished the Peach Banquet, the Jade Emperor would lead the immortals to “Wanxiang Mountain” to see the kalanchoe. To prevent the kalanchoe from being stolen, the Jade Emperor ordered the Weaver Girl to weave seven layers of brocade to cover the mountaintop, and also sent a black dragon to live in the pool and guard the kalanchoe.
The Black Water Dragon King had three daughters. The eldest princess and the second princess were both married, and only the third princess was still an unmarried maiden. The third princess was delicate and pretty, as lovely as the kalanchoe. She especially loved to play, and played all day from the front palace to the back palace. As time went on, she grew a little tired of playing in the Black Water Palace. One day she heard that the scenery on the surface of the pool was fun, and that a kind of “kalanchoe” grew there; if eaten, it could keep one forever young. Because in her heart she kept longing to go up and play. However, the Jade Emperor feared that the creatures in the pool would go up to the surface and stir up trouble, so he sent Lord Laozi to sprinkle a layer of black water on top, and listed this matter among the heavenly laws: whoever violated it would be demoted.
In the Jade Emperor's palace there was a Silver Dragon Great King, who was a co-brother-in-law of the Black Water Dragon King. His second prince was about the same age as the third princess and had a similar temperament. Once he went secretly to the human world, and Lord Laozi caught him, saying he had violated the heavenly laws, and submitted a memorial. The Jade Emperor was furious and banished the second prince to the Black Water Pool to practice hard for three years. After the second prince arrived at the Black Water Pool, he became familiar with the third princess. How they longed to go up to the water's surface to see the kalanchoe! One day, the second prince came up with a good idea and said to the princess, I must make the Jade Emperor agree to withdraw his decree.
The next morning, as soon as the Black Water Dragon King arrived at the Black Water Palace, he saw the shrimp soldiers and crab generals all reeling and staggering, as if they had lost their souls. When they saw the Black Water Dragon King, they all knelt down and said: “Dragon King, oh no.” When the Black Water Dragon King saw the soldiers and generals in this state, he was startled and quickly asked: “What has happened to you?” The soldiers and generals said: “Because year after year we cannot see even a trace of the sun, our powers have diminished. If we never see sunlight again, our powers will be completely gone.” The crab woman also said: “Let us go up to the surface of the pool……” The Black Water Dragon King was originally unwilling, but on further thought, he feared that if the shrimp soldiers and crab generals really lost all their powers, who would protect the kalanchoe? So he reported to the Jade Emperor: “The powers of all the soldiers and generals in the Black Water Pool have diminished quite a lot, and it is very difficult to guard the Black Water Pool and the kalanchoe.” The Jade Emperor asked: “Why have their powers all diminished?” The Black Water Dragon King said: “The soldiers and generals in the pool stay under the water all year round and cannot receive the essence of the sun and moon, so their powers have diminished. I beg the Great Emperor's heavenly grace to let them see sunlight every day.” The Jade Emperor thought about it and found it reasonable, so he agreed to let them see the sunlight on the surface of the pool for one shichen each day.
When the soldiers and generals in the Black Water Pool heard this, they were overjoyed. The third princess and the second prince were even happier beyond words, and went to the surface of the pool every day to play to their hearts' content. One day, on the way back to the palace, they suddenly heard a howling cry beside the path. The third princess asked: “What monster is making such a racket here?” “Princess, do not be angry. I am a sable from the human world. My mother is ill, and I came to pick kalanchoe, but was caught and brought into the pool. Because I miss my mother, I cry out every day.” When the princess heard that it was an animal from the human world, she said: “You must know a lot about the human world. Tell me about it.” The sable said: “The human world is a hundred times better than Wanxiang Mountain. In the daytime there is the sun, at night there is the moon, the land stretches endlessly, the sky has no edge, and there are flowers, grass, trees, and the five grains, whatever you want; men plow and women weave, passed down from generation to generation, not at all as lonely and quiet as the Black Water Pool.”
The second prince said from the side: “The human world is much better than here. That time I went to the human world, if Lord Laozi had not caught me, I would not have come back at all! But mortals just do not live long.” The third princess asked again: “How is that?” The sable said: “Mostly they die of illness.” The third princess said to the second prince: “Cousin, we have kalanchoe here. Its roots can cure a hundred illnesses, remove a hundred plagues, and prolong life. If only we had the day to descend to the mortal world, we should take some to the human world. How wonderful that would be.” The sable jumped for joy: “That is easy. Once you leave the Three Rivers Mouth, you are in the human world.” The third princess said: “You do not know. This pool mouth has three sluice gates, and the gates are locked with three golden locks. The keys are kept in a treasure chest. Only when my father goes to heaven on business can we steal the keys, put on the water-patrolling treasure robe, and take the water-patrolling treasure sword to get out of the water!” When the sable heard this, it could not help but think of its worries, and tears pattered from its eyes as it said: “Princess, if I cannot pick the kalanchoe, my mother's illness will not be cured, and all my brothers and sisters at home will be finished.” The second prince said: “Third Sister, we cannot stand by and watch someone die. Besides, if we could bring the kalanchoe to the human world and help mortals cure illness, how wonderful that would be!”
One day, the third princess heard that the Black Water Dragon King had gone to heaven again, so she hurried in panic to the Black Water Rear Palace and said to the Black Water Empress: “Mother, oh no, the sable has bitten a hole in the treasure chest. If it bites through the treasure robe, that would be terrible!” When the Black Water Empress heard this, she quickly took out a small gourd with a narrow waist from her pocket and quickly chanted: “Gourd open, gourd open, spit out the treasure chest key!” After chanting it three times, a golden light appeared, and a key flew out of the gourd. The Empress quickly handed it to the third princess and said: “This is the treasure chest key. Go quickly and take a look. Do not delay for anything!” The princess said “Yes”, turned and ran out.
The third princess took the treasure chest key, opened the treasure chest, took out the water-patrolling treasure robe and the water-patrolling treasure sword, found the second prince and the sable, and together they rushed out. Some fish, turtles, shrimps and crabs in the pool also followed them out of the Three Rivers Mouth, and from then on many fish and shrimp grew in the Three Rivers. When the third princess and the second prince reached the human world, they quickly took out kalanchoe seeds from their bosoms and scattered them in the wind. In the blink of an eye, bright red kalanchoe bloomed everywhere. The sable said happily: “Princess, you have truly done a good deed.”
Further reading: How to grow kalanchoe, kalanchoe flowering period