Orchid Obsession: My Indissoluble Bond with Orchids

Promoting Chinese orchid culture and spreading orchid knowledge

Meeting orchids was a chance occurrence, and it was this "chance" that changed the course of my life, setting me on the long journey of loving orchids, appreciating orchids, and growing orchids.

It was a day in the spring of 2002. I had bought some flowers at Daqiao Market and was about to drive away when a gentle breeze brought a refreshing fragrance that lifted the spirits and made one linger. Following the fragrance, I walked over and saw many orchids displayed on the shelves inside two storefronts. "How fragrant, what flower is this?" "This is an orchid." After some pleasantries, I began to examine those pots of orchids. I never expected that the captivating fragrance came from those tiny, unassuming flowers.

"The fragrance of orchids is very special, and the most fragrant of all. No other flower's fragrance can compare, which is why the orchid is called the 'King of Fragrance,'" the shop owner explained. There are tens of thousands of orchid varieties, among which the more precious ones include plain-color flowers, petal-type flowers, unusual flowers, colored flowers, leaf-art varieties, and so on. It is a traditional culture of the Chinese nation. Through the ages, countless men of letters have written poems praising orchids beyond counting. "The orchid grows in the deep valley, and does not cease to be fragrant because no one is there" is a representative allusion praising the orchid. If you can collect and cultivate fine and famous varieties, they will also bring you generous economic returns. He spoke with great relish in praise of orchids. I listened half-believing, and with curiosity in my heart, I left that place and drove home.

In my spare time I love to grow some flowers and bonsai. There are always some placed around the balcony, and when I have time I tinker with them, experiencing and enjoying some pleasure from it. After returning home, the fragrance and peculiar charm of the orchids were still imprinted in my mind, as if the orchid's fragrance still lingered around me. A thought arose spontaneously: I want to understand orchids and grow orchids. So I dug out the flower and bonsai magazines I had subscribed to for years and photocopied everything in them that introduced orchid knowledge, bound it all together, and read it over and over, memorizing orchid terminology, basic characteristics, and appreciation methods. At the same time, I asked and learned from people who understood orchids, and I also bought some ordinary plants to compare with the books, summing up some practical experience from it, and slowly I made my way into the orchid market that was so unfamiliar to me.

After a period of time, all the other flowers and bonsai at home unrelated to orchids had disappeared. The whole house was full of orchids. I became obsessed, and a desire to possess orchids grew very strong. I could not bear to hear of or see orchids anywhere. As long as there were some, I badly wanted them to belong only to me, regardless of price or whether the variety was good or bad. From then on it was utterly out of control. Along the way, I was cheated by many dishonest people, suffered no small losses, fell for no small number of tricks, and paid no small amount of tuition. The sourness, sweetness, bitterness, and spiciness of it all simply cannot be put into words.

Yet even so, I still pursued it persistently and did not give up, summing up experience from failures, learning more knowledge, and using higher standards to improve myself. Through unremitting effort and the investment of a large amount of capital, my orchids have now reached a certain scale. I have built a standard, professional orchid garden and have also collected many new, fine, and famous orchid varieties.

After several years, I have formed an indissoluble bond with orchids. I love orchids. With their unique natural charm, elegant artistic charm, and lovely personality charm, they have completely conquered me. From the bottom of my heart I like them, call out to them, appreciate them. I am devoted to them alone, deeply enamored, and regard them as treasures. Orchids, they will accompany me for a lifetime!

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