A Brief Introduction to the Tonghai Jianlan (Chun Jian) Orchid Variety
Tonghai Jianlan is a famous flower prized for both its foliage and its blooms, long known as "the first flower of Tonghai." Its leaves resemble swords, standing upright and tall, elegant and noble, evergreen through all four seasons and never withering all year round, so that one never tires of admiring them. Its flowers are beautifully shaped, delicately and subtly fragrant, with a graceful and luxurious bearing that delights the eye and the heart.
It is a famous flower prized for both its foliage and its blooms, long known as "the first flower of Tonghai." Its leaves resemble swords, standing upright and tall, elegant and noble, evergreen through all four seasons and never withering all year round, so that one never tires of admiring them. Its flowers are beautifully shaped, delicately and subtly fragrant, with a graceful and luxurious bearing that delights the eye and the heart.
Tonghai Jianlan has a long history. Legend has it that it was collected from the mountains during the Ming and Qing dynasties, and in the Qing dynasty it became famous throughout Yunnan. The Qing-dynasty Guangxu-era Continued Draft Gazetteer of Yunnan, section on Orchids, records: "Chun Jian, with long leaves that do not break, its floral fragrance spreading far, comes from Tonghai." This flower usually grows on mountain slopes and in ravines at altitudes of around 500-2000 m, where the layer of fallen branches and leaves is deep. Its blooming period falls right around the Spring Festival, and its fragrance is clear and crisp. It is distributed in most prefectures and cities of our province, and is an excellent domesticated and horticultural variety selected and acclimatized from wild Chun Jian (Cymbidium tortisepalum var. longibracteatum) in Yunnan. Tonghai is the main place where Tonghai Jianlan was domesticated, cultivated and traded, so people named it after the county. It is one of the very few orchid varieties named after a place, and enjoys the reputation of "the first flower of Tonghai." Because of its high shoot production rate, its suitability for pot cultivation and its vigorous, majestic bearing, it is deeply loved and widely planted. It is as famous as Da Xue Su, Xiao Xue Su and Zhusha Lan, and together they are known as the "Four Great Traditional Famous Orchids of Yunnan." It has won the Special Gold Award at the 5th China (Kunming) Orchid Expo and a gold award from Japanese friends, the Special Gold Award at the 7th China (Beihai) Orchid Expo, and the Special Gold Award at the 14th China (Yuxi) Orchid Expo, among others.
According to reports, in June 2009, Tonghai Jianlan was approved for registration by the China Orchid Variety Registration Committee. In August of the same year, the office of the Tonghai County leading group for building the Chinese "Tonghai Jianlan" brand sought the opinions of the county's broad ranks of cadres and masses by online and written means on "whether Tonghai Jianlan should be designated the county flower of Tonghai County," and the proposal was unanimously approved. In December 2009, the Standing Committee of the Tonghai County People's Congress decided to designate Tonghai Jianlan, which embodies Tonghai's characteristics and represents Tonghai's image, as the county flower of Tonghai County.
