Orchid Village

Orchid Village

The orchid is one of China’s top ten famous flowers and holds a high status among floral plants. Lanxi is known as the hometown of orchids in China, and the orchid is the city flower of Lanxi. To promote the traditional orchid culture of Lanxi, the city built Orchid Village at the foot of Lanyin Mountain, where Emperor Zhengde of the Ming Dynasty once inscribed the words “Deep in the Shade of Orchids.”

Orchid Village is a culturally rich urban theme park and also an orchid cultivation base. The architectural style of the village highlights the orchid theme, featuring small bridges over flowing water and pavilions for performances. The villagers grow orchids all around their homes. Strolling through Orchid Village feels like visiting a farmhouse courtyard in the Jiangnan water town, or stepping into the fragrant depths of Lanyin.

The orchid, with its elegant and graceful leaves, its subtle and refined fragrance, and its noble and refined character, brings joy to the heart and uplifts the spirit. Since ancient times, it has been a favorite of poets and scholars. Confucius said, “The orchid should be the fragrance of kings.” With the improvement of people’s living standards, orchids have now moved from the palaces of emperors and nobles into the homes of ordinary people. Today, growing orchids has become a widespread practice in China, with countless enthusiasts. Some have even gone beyond viewing orchids as mere ornamental plants or tools for beautifying the environment and cultivating sentiment, and have developed it into an industry, bringing Chinese orchids to the world. In any case, as the “Hometown of Orchids in China,” where the stream is named after the orchid and the city after the stream, Lanxi is a place we all yearn to visit.