What are the flower language and legends of winter jasmine?
Winter jasmine, also known by other names such as small yellow flower, golden belt, yellow plum, and Qingming flower, is a deciduous shrub of the genus Jasminum in the family Oleaceae. It is dignified and elegant, with a refined bearing, and together with plum blossom, narcissus, and camellia it is known as one of the Four Friends in the Snow. It does not fear the cold, is not choosy about soil, and has strong adaptability, and it has always been loved by people. Now let us take a look together at the flower language and legends of winter jasmine!
The flower language of winter jasmine
Loving each other forever，The beauty of tradition，Strong vitality，Aloof and lonely。
The habits of winter jasmine
Winter jasmine likes light, tolerates slight shade, is slightly cold-tolerant, and fears waterlogging. In North China and Yanling it can overwinter outdoors. It requires a warm and humid climate, and loose, fertile, well-drained sandy soil. It grows vigorously in acidic soil and grows poorly in alkaline soil. Its roots sprout strongly, and the parts of the branches that touch the ground root very easily.
The legend of winter jasmine
A very, very long time ago, the land was covered by a great flood. The crops were submerged and the houses collapsed, so the common people had no choice but to gather on the mountain tops. Between heaven and earth all was chaotic all day long, and even spring, autumn, winter, and summer could not be told apart.
The ruler at that time was Shun. Shun called on the minister Gun to lead the people in controlling the waters. After several years of effort, the water grew greater and greater. Gun died, and his son Yu again took up the heavy burden of controlling the waters. When Yu led the people in surveying the waterways, he met a young woman at Mount Tu. This young woman boiled water and cooked food for them and helped them point out the water sources. Yu was grateful to this young woman, and the young woman also liked Yu very much, so the two married.
Because Yu was busy with flood control, they parted after only a few days together. When he was leaving, the young woman saw Yu off one stage after another. When they came to a mountain ridge, Yu said to her: “No matter how far you see me off, we still have to part! I will not turn back until the waters are controlled.” With tears in her eyes, the young woman looked at Yu and said: “Go, then. I will stand right here, and I will keep watching until you tame the flood and return to my side.” When Great Yu was parting, he untied the rattan vine from around his waist and handed it to the young woman. The young woman touched that rattan belt and said: “Go. I will stand here and wait, waiting until the rattan blooms, the flood stops flowing, and the people live and work in peace and contentment. Then we will be reunited.”
After parting from the young woman, Great Yu led the people across the Nine Provinces, digging out river channels. Several years later, the rivers and streams were cleared, the floodwaters returned to the sea, the crops emerged from the soil, the willows and poplars sprouted, and the people finally lived in peace. Great Yu hurried back joyfully through the night to find his beloved young woman. From afar he saw the young woman holding up that bundle of rattan vine, standing on the high mountain waiting for him. But when he came closer and looked, it turned out that the young woman had long since turned into a stone statue.
It turned out that after Great Yu left, the young woman stood on this mountain ridge every day gazing into the distance. No matter whether it was windy or raining, freezing cold or frozen ground, she never walked away. Later, grass spikes pierced through her feet, and grass seeds sprouted and took root on her body, yet she still held up the rattan vine and gazed into the distance. As days grew into years, the young woman turned into a stone statue, her hands had grown together with the rattan vine, and her blood soaked into the rattan vine. No one knew how long had passed, but the rattan vine unexpectedly turned green and tender and put out new branches. Yu stepped forward and called out to his beloved young woman, and tears fell onto the stone statue. In an instant, the rattan vine unexpectedly bloomed with golden little flowers one after another. The rattan vine had bloomed, and the flood had subsided. To commemorate the young woman's devotion, Great Yu named this rattan flower “winter jasmine”.