The 34-year story of the Wuhan Chrysanthemum Exhibition: Looking for the memories of Wuhan people in old photos
△2016 Qingshan District Qingshan Park Chrysanthemum Exhibition, citizens linger among the chrysanthemums, busy taking photos - file photo
Is it here yet?
It's here, it's here, it opens on the 18th, and we've entered the final 2-day countdown!
Celebrating the 35th Wuhan Golden Autumn Chrysanthemum Exhibition, the "Looking for Old Photos of the Wuhan Chrysanthemum Exhibition" call for submissions has already begun! We invite you to join us in searching for the shared memories of Wuhan people!
If you ask which event best evokes the shared memories of Wuhan people?
Perhaps most Wuhan people will tell you:
It is the Golden Autumn Chrysanthemum Exhibition every October
From the late 1980s to the present
The Wuhan Golden Autumn Chrysanthemum Exhibition has been held for thirty-four consecutive editions
Accompanying the people of Wuhan for a full 34 years
?
△On November 19, 2012, the 29th Golden Autumn Chrysanthemum Exhibition, themed "Beautiful Wuhan, Green River City," opened at Shouyi Square. Chrysanthemums in a thousand forms and wonderful artistic performances attracted hundreds of thousands of citizens, who were immersed in the mood of "flowers in full bloom, chrysanthemum fragrance across Wuhan."
"Only the chrysanthemum by the eastern hedge endures the cold; its golden grains first open, clearer still at dawn."
In Bai Juyi's "Ode to the Chrysanthemum" from the Tang Dynasty, he describes the chrysanthemum standing proudly in the cold, with golden-grain-like stamens just beginning to open. In the bleak cold wind, the hundred flowers gradually wither, while the radiance of the chrysanthemum as it blooms is also the most special scenery in Wuhan every golden autumn season.
△2014 Wuhan Golden Autumn Chrysanthemum Exhibition, Wuchang Shouyi Square - file photo
Autumn passes quickly in Wuhan, so the annual Golden Autumn Chrysanthemum Exhibition seems to have become a kind of ritual for autumn in Wuhan.
△2015 Wuhan Golden Autumn Chrysanthemum Exhibition, Moon Lake Scenic Area in Hanyang District, citizens strolling the exhibition and taking photos - file photo
Most older Wuhan residents remember that as early as the 1980s, Wuhan already had chrysanthemum exhibitions. At that time, East Lake, Zhongshan Park, and Jiefang Park were the three major exhibition sites. Because citizens then had relatively few choices for outings and leisure activities, the annual Golden Autumn Chrysanthemum Exhibition became a grand event that moved the whole city. People often brought the whole family, the old and the young together, and wherever there were chrysanthemums in the golden autumn season, there were crowds of people. This tradition has continued to this day for 34 years.
But materials from the landscaping department show that the history of Wuhan's chrysanthemum exhibitions actually goes back far more than 34 years.
- Before Liberation, Hankou's New Market (today's Minzhong Amusement Park) once held chrysanthemum exhibitions to attract business;
- In 1952, the College of Agriculture of Wuhan University, and in 1953, the East Lake Scenic Area both held small-scale chrysanthemum exhibitions;
- In 1956, Wuhan organized a citywide chrysanthemum exhibition for the first time, with 6 units participating, including East Lake Scenic Area, Zhongshan Park, Jiefang Park, Shouyi Park, the Municipal Bureau of Culture, and Jianghan District. It displayed 476 varieties and more than 30,000 pots;
- In 1957, in order to present a gift for the opening of the Yangtze River Bridge, the landscaping department used technical "forced ripening" to make 350 pots of chrysanthemums bloom early on National Day...
- After a period of interruption during the "Cultural Revolution," the Wuhan chrysanthemum exhibition was held again at Zhongshan Park in 1981, and gradually moved to parks in various parts of the city. Jiefang Park, Qiaokou Park, Guqin Terrace, and other places were all important exhibition areas.
△2003, the 20th Golden Autumn Chrysanthemum Exhibition, Dongxihu District exhibition site. This is already a chrysanthemum exhibition memory from 15 years ago. Can you believe it?
△2013 Wuhan Golden Autumn Chrysanthemum Exhibition
Every year during the chrysanthemum exhibition, the three towns of Wuhan transform into a colorful sea of flowers. At a glance, the autumn scenery is fully visible, and it is the most moving of all.
Chrysanthemums have already become synonymous with autumn viewing in Wuhan.Colorful European and American small chrysanthemums in red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, purple, and more, along with traditional famous chrysanthemums such as "Mohe," "Lüyun," and "Shuaiqi," allow both those who "watch for fun" and those who "watch for expertise" to each find what suits them.
△2015 Wuhan Golden Autumn Chrysanthemum Exhibition, North Gate of the Garden Expo Park - file photo
It is not that among flowers I favor the chrysanthemum alone; but once this flower blooms, there are no more flowers.
Today, when a hundred flowers vie in beauty, we will not encounter the situation of "once this flower blooms, there are no more flowers" when enjoying flowers in autumn, but the habit of appreciating chrysanthemums in golden autumn still remains in our culture.
△2016 Wuhan Golden Autumn Chrysanthemum Exhibition, Qingshan Park in Qingshan District - file photo
Mid-October has arrived
The Wuhan Golden Autumn Chrysanthemum Exhibition is about to arrive as promised!
With an exhibition period of nearly one month, the whole city will be covered in golden armor
By then, do not forget to go out into the streets of Wuhan
And seek out a trace of chrysanthemum fragrance!
In Qingshan District"Phoenix Nirvana"
Displayed at Wuchang Shouyi Square"Beautiful Wuhan"
At Yellow Crane Tower Park"Vigorous and Upward"
And
Also
?
△2016 Golden Autumn Chrysanthemum Exhibition, Jiang'an District, Hankou Jiangtan, "Planning River City, Green Waters and Green Mountains"
△2017 Golden Autumn Chrysanthemum Exhibition, High-tech Development Zone, Xiyuan Park - file photo
△2017 Golden Autumn Chrysanthemum Exhibition, High-tech Development Zone, "Chrysanthemum Charm of a Prosperous Age" launches night view mode - file photo
Wuhan's chrysanthemum exhibition began in 1981, and this year is already the 35th edition.
If we always cease to find old things novel, life will seem dull and uninteresting. It would be better to read the world in others' eyes, see the chrysanthemums in their eyes, and appreciate the distinctive beauty of autumn chrysanthemums -
01
△2014 Wuhan Golden Autumn Chrysanthemum Exhibition, Moon Lake Scenic Area in Hanyang District - file photo
In the cold winter, those delicate flowers all withered and died. But there are still some inconspicuous flowers striving to bloom. For example, chrysanthemums, wintersweet...
Chrysanthemums are not as beautiful as those flowers, nor are they as fragrant, but they have a tenacious and firm will, and at the same time they also express the spirit of fearing no cold and making silent contributions. I love chrysanthemums, I love that spirit of theirs. Chrysanthemum, this is the chrysanthemum in my heart.
△2015 Wuhan Golden Autumn Chrysanthemum Exhibition, North Gate of the Garden Expo Park - file photo
Autumn chrysanthemums dress the park in brilliant colors, a riot of red and purple. Under the bright sunshine, chrysanthemums of all kinds compete in splendor. There are yellow autumn chrysanthemums, white Gong chrysanthemums, red red chrysanthemums, and their forms are even more varied. Some flowers are very large, while others are very, very small. When you walk into the chrysanthemum bushes, you will smell a light fragrance rushing toward you, refreshing the heart and mind, and you will be completely intoxicated by it!
——Huang Lan Mama's Treasures
02
△2015 Wuhan Golden Autumn Chrysanthemum Exhibition, North Gate of the Garden Expo Park - file photo
I, like a kind of flower. A kind of flower that is low-key yet still elegant, a kind of flower that has no fragrance yet can make people stop to admire it. It is delicate in form yet strives toward the sun; in pouring rain it remains calm in the face of danger. I often look for it by roadsides overgrown with weeds. It is always pure white and unblemished, standing tall and unyielding.
It is the daisy. Although it is not as tall and dazzling as the sunflower, I love its simplicity and purity even more. It is a tiny plant, but to me it is more like a symbol of a spirit. As a tiny young person, I also hope to be like it, soft on the outside and firm within, rooted in the soil that belongs to me.
——Daisy
03
△2016 Wuhan Golden Autumn Chrysanthemum Exhibition, Nanhu Xingfubay in Hongshan District - file photo
A while ago, the weather unexpectedly became hot and dry again. A colleague casually gave me a small packet of chrysanthemum tea, and I casually tossed it into a drawer without paying attention.
Today I remembered to brew tea and drink it, only to discover that this packet was actually a whole flower. I tilted my hand, and the chrysanthemum in my hand drifted gently into the cup. The curled petals slowly unfurled under the nourishment of the water, becoming a complete flower, swaying in the water as if it had regained life. With just a gentle fan, a clear fragrance rushed to my nose. In a daze, I felt as if I were in the open wilderness of late autumn. Fallen leaves drift, prosperity fades, and only the chrysanthemum dances in the bleak autumn wind, like a beauty standing apart from the world.
——KIKI
04
△2014 Wuhan Golden Autumn Chrysanthemum Exhibition, Jiefang Park in Jiang'an District - file photo
On a sunny autumn day, my cousin and I went together to Jiefang Park to view the chrysanthemum exhibition. The chrysanthemums were rich in color, including red, yellow, white, ink, purple, green, orange, pink, light green, and more. The park's gardeners were exceptionally ingenious, designing chrysanthemums into various shapes and forms.
Some used potted chrysanthemums to design characters, some used potted chrysanthemums to design Chinese characters, some used potted chrysanthemums to design a coiled giant dragon, and some used potted chrysanthemums to design sheep and other cute animals. Seen from a distance, they looked like lifelike animals standing on the lawn, bringing much vitality and energy to the quiet park.
——Luo Xiaolin
Photo collection of chrysanthemum exhibitions from previous years
△2014 Wuhan Golden Autumn Chrysanthemum Exhibition, Moon Lake Scenic Area in Hanyang District, citizens photographing and admiring chrysanthemums - file photo
△2014 Wuhan Golden Autumn Chrysanthemum Exhibition, Jiefang Park in Jiang'an District - file photo
△2016 Wuhan Golden Autumn Chrysanthemum Exhibition, Nanhu Xingfubay in Hongshan District - file photo
△2017 Golden Autumn Chrysanthemum Exhibition, Shouyi Square in Wuchang District, "Welcoming the 19th National Congress" - file photo
The 2018 35th Chrysanthemum Exhibition is about to open. This year it combines centralized judging exhibitions with street chrysanthemum art displays. The centralized judging exhibition has two main venues: Wuhan Jiefang Park and Wuhan Shahu Park (main venue chrysanthemum art flower arrangement exhibition). The street chrysanthemum art exhibition mainly sets up several branch venues in each district, making the entire chrysanthemum grand event spread across the three towns of Wuhan.
△2017 Wuhan Golden Autumn Chrysanthemum Exhibition, the largest exhibition area, Xiyuan Park in East Lake High-tech Development Zone, with flowing night lights - Image source: Changjiang Daily
Year after year of chrysanthemum exhibitions
Year after year of us
Time passes in a hurry
Leaving behind memories, one after another, images, one after another
Photos are frozen history
They are the epitome of yesterday
In every yellowed old photo
Is condensed our memories of the Wuhan Chrysanthemum Exhibition
Do you have old photos like these?
"Looking for Old Photos of the Wuhan Chrysanthemum Exhibition"
[Collection Period]
From now until November 18
[Notes]
The photo content should mainly focus on the Wuhan Golden Autumn Chrysanthemum Exhibition
Such as chrysanthemums, chrysanthemum exhibition sites, selfies while visiting the exhibition, etc.
The photos must not have copyright disputes
If they were not taken by you, the source should be indicated
[How to Participate]
From now on,Share old photos of the chrysanthemum exhibition with Xiaoqi and tell your story with the Wuhan Chrysanthemum Exhibition
And you can participate in this event