From the turning-red of the first maple leaf, to the maturity of most of the leaves, the Scenic Area of Wuxi Huishan has been almost painted red in just several days, bringing people surprises and wonders.
The gingko tree going through centuries
Towering and lofty, gingko trees are widely cultivated in the ancient towns south of the Yangtze River. Having a nickname of “grandpa-and-grandkid-tree”, gingko trees usually take generations to grow and offer shade.
While most plants are hermaphrodites, ginkgoes have separate male and female trees. The male trees bloom but don’t produce fruit, while the female ones both bloom and fruit. However, there’s this very rare gingko tree in front of the Hall of Ceremony of Huishan County which is hermaphrodite, and one of the oldest gingkoes of over 600 years old.
This gingko tree erects just in front of the gate of Huishan Temple. It has seen more than six centuries and generations of followers coming and worshiping.
The walls of the temple are symbolic yellow in Buddhism. When the late fall’s around and the sun light lazily crawls up the bushes, when dappled light spills on the walls, the leaves just float down on the ground, one by one, slowly.
When people paying a visit here, they would be intoxicated having their eyes filled with the golden yellow and wouldn’t wake up.
I keep wondering whether I could find some unique sentiment in autumn. Spring is girlish, summer is noisy, and winter is too solitude. Only autumn, only fall, makes me sense the freedom and inside peace simultaneously.
From different angles, people would see different parts of the world. Different shades of yellow and the warmth of tone will keep some coldness and bleakness away.
When fallen leaves have covered the whole path, when people walk on them listening to the rustling, when they watch the ancient buildings and lush branches match perfectly together, and when they smell the incense around, they will eventually find the inner peace and calm down.
The early winter is a paintbrush. It paints gingkoes yellow, paints maples red and paints the land colorful. Stay, the winter calls, stay in the beauty of mother nature.
The popular red of maple leaves
There have been many poems singing for the beauty of maple leaves.
Du Mu in late Tang Dynasty depicted “The frost-covered leaves are redder than the flowers of spring”.
Zhang Ji in Tang Dynasty wrote “By maples and boat lights, I sleepless lie”.
Bai Juyi in Tang Dynasty described when he saw a friend off by Xunyang River, maple leaves and di flowers felt like crying swung in the autumn wind.
Du Fu in Tang Dynasty commented the charming view in fall with “red maple leaves and birds singing”.
Look closely at the Chinese character “feng”, the maple, you’ll notice the left part of it is “mu”, wood; and the right part of it is “feng”, wind.
The true and original beauty of maples not only lies in the frost covered red but their high profile against wind.
When leaves falling down, the forest feels disconnected yet still proud.
Going through Huishan Scenic Area, when you greet the gentle wind, when you enjoy clouds and blue skies, can’t you see the red maple leaves set almost everything on fire and turn them into red?
Farewell to the gentle spring, saying goodbye to the hot summer, in this sentimental season of fall, enjoy the ardent color of red.
A maple leaf may tell a story. They’re little messengers, sending out wishes and regards, and painting an amazing fall.
