154-year-old peony in Xiaolou Lane, Wuxi blooms with 72 flowers; foreigners once made a special trip to see it

A 154-year-old peony, a living historical fossil

In downtown Wuxi, skyscrapers stand in dense clusters and crowds come and go noisily. What people would never expect is that hidden here is Xiaolou Lane, which already has a history of more than 900 years. To see the century-old peony, you first have to pass through this narrow alley.

This alley is very narrow and deep, called Beilong. Following it, you feel as if you have to walk for a long time before reaching the end. In some places, even sunlight cannot shine in, just like a tunnel of time.

After walking through the long Xiaolou Lane, winding this way and that, although I was eager to see the peony, I still did not want to miss the scenery along the way.

Passing all the way by old houses covered with dark tiles, one cannot help but feel deep respect. This is, after all, a lane with more than 900 years of history, houses lived in by ancients and roads walked by them.

When you reach Fushou Hall, you are very close to the 154-year-old peony. The furnishings inside Fushou Hall are very simple and full of antique charm.

The plaque hanging in Fushou Hall is said to have been written by Zhang Zongyi of the Qing Dynasty. The paper has long turned yellow, like an elderly person quietly telling history.

Finally, in the garden on the west side of Fushou Hall, I saw the century-old peony. It was planted by Qin Huan, a xiucai of the Qing Dynasty, and is a peony with a story. This year it unexpectedly bloomed with 72 flowers, greatly delighting the people of Wuxi and once again breaking the 2011 record of 52 blooms.

In the early years of the Tongzhi reign, Wuxi was occupied by the Taiping army, and Qin Huan went to Kaifeng, Henan, to take refuge. In the second year of Tongzhi, the Qing Dynasty retook Wuxi. When Qin Huan returned to Wuxi from Kaifeng, a friend gave him a peony.

It has gone through a century of wind and rain, escaped the ordeal of the Cultural Revolution, and several generations have carefully tended this peony, so it has grown more and more vigorous!

The four large characters on the wall, "Jiabao Guohua", were inscribed by Song Yuanlian, former education minister of the Qing Dynasty. The meaning is that the peony is the Qin family's heirloom treasure, while the Qin family members are the pillars and essence of the nation!

The peony grows so vigorously and healthily, which is inseparable from the careful care of generation after generation of the Qin family. The peony and the Qin family already have deep feelings for each other, as if only by blooming the most beautiful flowers can it repay their kindness of care!

The peony understands human nature, and the Qin family also understands the peony's temperament. The fourth-generation daughter-in-law of the Qin family is already 86 years old. People call her Grandma Yu. Grandma says the peony only likes meaty foods, one being pig offal and the other fish offal. After composting them thoroughly and burying them at the roots, the peony will surely bloom incomparably brightly.

Children also like to come to Fushou Hall and draw the countless forms of this century-old peony on paper.

This peony has witnessed the century of historical changes in Xiaolou Lane. It is a second-class ancient tree of Wuxi City and a living historical fossil.

This peony amazed foreigners even more! In 2014, the British BBC sent people specially to make a documentary about this peony, and they praised it endlessly!

The 154-year-old peony has a soul. It breathes together with generations of Wuxi people and silently blesses people with happy and fulfilling lives.

The Qin family's heirloom is not gold, silver or jewels,

but a peony planted 154 years ago,

though it has endured many hardships,

its blooms astonish the world,

Huahua hopes this peony can live forever,

and continue to pass on the stories of our generation!