Huaxiang Nongju

Huaxiang Nongju

The "Huaxiang Nongju" agritainment is located in Wujia Dong Village, Longquan Town, the Flower and Tree Capital of China and a provincial-level famous tourist town, and is a provincial-level characteristic tourism village in Henan Province. It is 15 kilometers from the city center.

In recent years, the Long'an District Party Committee and District Government have promoted new rural construction through ecological tourism as an industrial driver, helping farmers establish agritainment businesses, which have been widely embraced by the public. As the saying goes: "Legends of the Three Kingdoms abound, and songs echo occasionally in the woods. Diligent work among the flowers, the Shu Emperor forgets his kingdom. Ten thousand acres of ecological park, willows and golden-thread rivers. Fragrant blooms and lush plants, clouds rise above the agritainment."

Entering "Wanmu Gully," you’ll find Wujia Dong Village, a provincial-level characteristic tourism village and a specialized village for flower and seedling cultivation, located to the northwest of this scenic area. The area boasts a countless variety of trees, rich in negative air ions, making you feel as if you’re in a natural oxygen bar.

Longquan Town in Long'an District is a nationally renowned flower and tree hub, with over 1,700 years of flower cultivation history. It lies at the junction of China’s northern and southern temperate zones, making it one of the most ideal acclimatization areas for transferring southern flowers northward and northern flowers southward.

Historical records state: "Most villagers in Longquan are florists, with flowers planted at every corner and eave. Their grafting skills are ingenious and surpass nature. Their reach extends everywhere." The town has over 20,000 acres of flower cultivation, nearly 40 flower and tree enterprises, including 10 with second-level greening qualification certificates, offering more than 2,000 varieties. It has been designated by the National Forestry Administration and the China Flower Association as a "National Key Flower Market" and the "Flower and Tree Capital of China."

A lesser-known historical story also circulates here: In the late Three Kingdoms period, after the fall of the Shu Kingdom, the last emperor Liu Shan (also known as Adou) was relocated and imprisoned here from Luoyang. He spent his days gardening, planting trees and grass, enjoying a leisurely life, and never thinking of his homeland. The phrase "pleased to be in Shu and not thinking of returning to one's native land" originates from here. Although Liu Shan lost his kingdom, he inspired the local people to develop the habit of growing flowers, trees, and grass, giving birth to Longquan’s floral culture.

To the left of the road is a cluster of crape myrtles, the city flower of Anyang. Also known as "Man Tang Hong," crape myrtles are widely planted ornamental trees that bloom continuously from July to October, hence the name "hundred-day red." The Song Dynasty poet Yang Wanli praised them: "Like drunken beauty, lovely and fine, leaning under dew and wind’s design. Who says flowers can’t bloom a hundred days? Crape myrtles bloom for half a year." Crape myrtles come in four types: purple, greenish-blue or light green (Cuimei), white (Yinwei), and red (Chiwei). When mature, their bark peels off, leaving a smooth trunk. A gentle touch makes the branches and leaves tremble, even producing a faint "creak." This "ticklish" reaction is truly fascinating, earning them the nickname "tickle-me-tree."

There are also cypress trees, specifically oriental arborvitae.

To the right of the road are hibiscus trees, whose flowers come in three colors: red, white, and pink. Hibiscus blooms in midsummer, covering the tree with vibrant blossoms, making it ideal for public hedges, garden arrangements, walls, watersides, highways, parks, coastal green spaces, home courtyards, and partition hedges. It’s also an environmental pioneer—tests show hibiscus resists harmful gases like sulfur dioxide and has dust-retention properties. Its flowers can be eaten raw, stir-fried, or made into soups, offering a crisp, tender texture and refreshing flavor that moisturizes and clears heat. South Korea has designated a single-petal red-heart variety as its national flower.

Walking along the trail, you’ll see a fiery red area formed by torch trees. Also called deerhorn lacquer or torch lacquer, their fruits persist after ripening in September, and their leaves and stamens turn red in autumn, resembling flaming torches. From afar, the fiery display is spectacular, locally called "Red Leaves Greeting Autumn."

Torch trees have shallow roots but strong horizontal growth and vigorous suckering, making them excellent for slope protection, embankment stabilization, and sand dune fixation. Their fruits contain citric acid and vitamin C, usable in beverages; seeds yield oil wax for soap and candles; yellow wood with dense grain is ideal for carving and crafts; root bark has medicinal uses.

Look up to see the "lantern trees"—koelreuteria, also known as doctor trees. These deciduous trees grow tall and upright, with lush, elegant foliage. Spring brings wine-red leaves, summer golden blooms, autumn crimson fruits, and yellow autumn leaves, making them ideal for greening and ornamental planting. Adaptable and seasonally distinct, they’re great for streets, gardens, and polluted industrial areas. They also produce tannins, yellow dye from flowers, and oil from seeds.

They’re divided into southern and northern koelreuteria. Southern types bloom in September, filling northern winter greening gaps, while northern types bloom in May.

These tall trees are Chinese redbuds, grafted from common and southern redbuds, featuring large, long-lasting purple flowers from April to May.

The local "honey peach tree" is actually a paper mulberry. Its soft, moisture-absorbent inner bark fibers were premium materials for Xuan paper in the Sui Dynasty. Its fruit, called papermulberry seed, and roots have medicinal benefits for kidney health and bone strength. Young leaves feed pigs. Resistant to sulfur dioxide, hydrogen fluoride, and other pollutants, it’s suitable for industrial areas.

The sword-like leaved plant is sisal, a common agave species and the world’s most widely used hard fiber. It’s vital for ropes in fishing, mining, and transport, with medicinal value. Its fibers are strong, saltwater-resistant, durable, and elastic.

This red plant is copperleaf, known for its vibrant, year-round foliage and stunning blooms, making it ideal for color blocks, topiaries, and potted plants. It’s Hunan’s Zhuzhou City flower.

These needle-like leaved trees are Chinese pines. Their hard, two-needle clusters are mainly ornamental. Sun-loving, deep-rooted, and resilient to cold (-25°C), wind, and poor soil, they thrive even on Mount Tai’s 1,400m "Guest-Greeting Pine." Pine wood is rot-resistant, used in construction, furniture, and resin production.

Masson pines have softer three-needle clusters and are key timber and afforestation species. Their versatile wood, dubbed "thousand-year pine in water," excels in underwater projects.

You’ve likely admired Mao Dun’s "Ode to the Poplar" for its noble, upright trees. Before you stands such a poplar. These sun-loving trees thrive in cool, humid climates but suffer in heat and rain. They tolerate poor soils, alkalinity (up to pH 8–8.5), smoke, and pollution, growing up to 200 years. Towering and shady, they’re ideal for urban greening, roads, parks, and windbreaks.

The deciduous chinaberry tree, also called bitter chinaberry, grows in Hebei, Shanxi, Shaanxi, and other provinces. Its lightweight wood makes furniture; flowers, leaves, seeds, and roots are medicinal. Beautiful pale purple spring blooms and pollution resistance suit it for streets and factories.

Covered in purplish-black berries, the compact ligustrum tolerates sun, shade, cold, and toxins like sulfur dioxide. Hardy and pruning-friendly, it’s a top hedge plant and pollution fighter, also used as rootstock for osmanthus and lilac. Small-leaved ligustrum excels in potted plants, shaping quickly into naturalistic forms.

Through the tung trees ahead, you can glimpse the southern hills locals call "Ten Thousand Cypress Mountain"—home to the famed "Adou’s Stronghold," Liu Shan’s residence. The mountain’s northern slope, dense with cypresses, inspired its name when Liu Shan tried counting them but gave up, declaring, "Let’s call it Ten Thousand Cypress Mountain!"

East of Adou’s Stronghold lies a flat, man-made-looking clearing—the legendary racetrack where Liu Shan rode. About 1 sq km, it borders Longquan Reservoir to the north and Golden-Thread River to the west. Local tales say Liu Shan raced daily from the mountain, down to the river, and into the track, earning the saying, "Adou’s whip spans fifty li, from Ten Thousand Cypress Mountain to Longquan River."

This clump of bamboo—do you know its family? Neither wood nor grass, it’s a woody grass, related to wheat.

This is moso bamboo, with vibrant green leaves. Graceful in groves, its smooth shoots suit large plantings or art. Rural areas often plant it for utility and windbreaks. Thin-walled and highly flexible, it’s prime for farming tools, mats, and weaving. Shoots are edible.

This is nanzhu bamboo, with larger leaves, mainly for ornamental use.

Descending the steps, you’ll find a 500-meter-long, 1.5-meter-wide forest path paved with large cobblestones. The area boasts beautiful surroundings, fresh air, lush greenery, and the sweet songs of birds. During the rainy season, light rain falls gently, streams babble, and springs tinkle. Visitors balance and play on the cobblestones, creating a uniquely poetic and picturesque scene.

What you see now are phoenix trees, also known as tung trees. They are named for the saying, “Where there’s a tung tree, a golden phoenix will come,” symbolizing people’s beautiful wishes. Tung trees are tall and upright, standing out among all trees. Since ancient times, they have been highly valued and often associated with the phoenix. The phoenix, king of birds, prefers to perch on tung trees, which speaks volumes about the nobility of the tung tree. For example, in China’s *Book of Songs* (*Shijing*), there are records about tung trees. In *Shijing·Daya·Juan’a*, a poem reads: “The phoenix calls, from that high ridge. The tung trees grow, where the sun rises bright. Luxuriant and lush, harmonious and loud.”

This poem describes how the luxuriant growth of tung trees attracts the phoenix’s call. “Luxuriant and lush” refers to the thriving tung trees, while “harmonious and loud” describes the sound of the phoenix’s cry.

The world-famous street tree—the “French plane tree”—is also commonly seen in parks and along roadsides in China. In fact, this is a case of mistaken identity. Chinese horticulturist Chen Zhi confirmed its true name as the “sycamore.” The so-called “French plane tree” is just one type of sycamore. There are three types planted in China, and all three can be found in Longquan, which fully demonstrates that Longquan truly deserves its title as China’s hometown of flowers and trees. The fruit stalks of sycamores bear different numbers of fruit balls—some have one, some two, and some three or more—hence they are categorized into the one-ball sycamore, two-ball sycamore, and three-ball sycamore, which are three distinct species.

Why is the sycamore called the “French plane tree”? Originally, this tree has leaves resembling those of the tung tree, leading to the mistaken belief that it was a tung tree. Moreover, the “French plane tree” is not actually native to France. In the 17th century, in Oxford, England, people hybridized the one-ball sycamore (also called the American plane tree) and the three-ball sycamore (also called the French plane tree) to create the two-ball sycamore, naming it the “English plane tree.” Because it was a hybrid with no original place of origin, it was widely cultivated in Europe. Later, the French brought it to Shanghai and planted it along Jiafei Road (now part of Huaihai Middle Road) as a street tree. People began calling it the “French plane tree,” and the name stuck, leading to its mistaken association with the tung tree.

Here stands an ancient well, said to have been dug during the Three Kingdoms period by A’dou (Liu Shan). He used it to draw water for watering flowers, planting trees, and growing grass, filling the area with fragrant blooms and lush vegetation. Later, it was discovered that the water was sweet, fragrant, refreshing, and pleasant to drink, which contributed to his longevity. Visitors can try their hand at operating the well’s pulley to draw a bucket of sweet spring water, taste its cool freshness, and immerse themselves in the distant history of the Three Kingdoms. In the village, there is also an iron bell made during the Hongwu era of the Ming Dynasty. Originally, there were four bells, but only one remains. The bell stands 1.2 meters tall, has a diameter of 0.8 meters, and weighs over 600 pounds. It is inscribed with the words “Long Live the Crown Prince” and features continuous Ming Dynasty-patterned engravings.

Walking left along this path will take you to the natural wetland landscape and A’douzhai (A’dou’s Stronghold).

Legend has it that after Liu A’dou (Liu Shan) and his family were exiled here, he brought his flower-growing skills with him. He planted flowers and trees, enjoyed life with the locals, and spent his later years in peace. Elders from Wujia Cave Village say that generations of residents here have been influenced by A’dou’s legacy of flower cultivation, making it a traditional industry. Today, Longquan has become a well-known flower-growing region far and wide.

The village before you, with its rows of small buildings, is Wujia Cave Village. With the support of the district government, Wujia Cave Village has focused on new rural development, leveraging its rich ecological tourism resources to establish agritainment spots for visitors to rest, stay, dine, and enjoy entertainment. It provides a great leisure destination for nearby city residents.

“Cuckoo Herald Spring” is one of the agritainment spots in Wujia Cave Village. As the saying goes, “When the cuckoo calls, honored guests arrive.” All of you are our distinguished guests, and “Cuckoo Herald Spring” warmly welcomes you to our home.

Agritainment in the Flower Village is filled with the charm of flowers. The “Crape Myrtle Garden” agritainment spot is a prime example. The city flower of Anyang is the crape myrtle, and Longquan, known as Anyang’s backyard garden, also has a “Crape Myrtle Garden.” Let’s step into the garden within the backyard garden.

“Magnolia Homestead” gets its name from the magnolia trees planted by the owner at the entrance. The home is surrounded by a beautiful environment and complete facilities, with kind and hospitable hosts.

To the right of “Magnolia Homestead” is the “Thousand Birds Valley” scenic spot. The valley’s lush vegetation and tranquil environment attract many birds to nest and breed here. Especially in the evening or after rain, the chirping of hundreds of birds creates a scene akin to a painting of birds, attracting many photography enthusiasts.

The owner has planted many bamboo trees around the yard. “A spacious garden cultivates my spirit”—bamboo, especially tall and elegant bamboo, symbolizes refinement. “In the cold, with thin sleeves, I lean on slender bamboo at dusk.” Bamboo also represents unyielding integrity.

Standing at the entrance of the Moon-Viewing Pavilion, you can smell the fragrance of osmanthus, gaze at the bright moon, and overlook A’douzhai, immersing yourself in the ancient sentiment of “so happy that one forgets to return to Shu.”

Wujia Cave Village enjoys convenient transportation, with intercity buses from Anyang to Shanying passing through. It is suitable for suburban trips, self-driving tours, and educational tours.