Rhododendrons of Cangshan Mountain

Rhododendrons of Cangshan Mountain

　　A specialty of Yunnan — the rhododendrons of Cangshan Mountain — are abundant in quantity and superior in quality, ranking first in the country. They are quite famous nationwide.

　　 Specialty Culture: Legend has it that in the ancient Shu Kingdom, there was an emperor named Du Yu, who was deeply in love with his empress. Later, he was maliciously harmed by someone and died a tragic death. His soul transformed into a cuckoo bird, which cried daily in the empress’s garden, wailing mournfully. The tears it shed were drops of red blood that dyed the beautiful flowers in the empress’s garden red. Hence, later generations named them rhododendrons.

　　 When the empress heard the cuckoo’s sorrowful cry and saw the crimson blood, she realized it was her husband’s spirit. Overcome with grief, she cried day and night, “Return, return,” and eventually passed away in sorrow. Her soul turned into fiery red rhododendrons that covered the mountains and fields, keeping the cuckoo company. That’s why the rhododendron is also called the azalea, and this is the origin of the legend of the cuckoo crying blood and the empress mourning its return. “In the Shu Kingdom, one once heard the cuckoo’s cry; in Xuancheng, one still sees the rhododendron bloom.” This eternal, unbreakable love between the bird and the flower is an immortal legend of the human world.

　　 Specialty Value: Besides being ornamental, some of their leaves and flowers can be used for medicine or to extract aromatic oils, some flowers are edible, the bark and leaves can be used to produce tannin, and the wood can be made into handicrafts. Alpine rhododendrons have well-developed root systems and are excellent plants for soil and water conservation.

　　 Rhododendrons are lush in flowers and leaves, beautifully shaped, highly vigorous, tolerant of pruning, and have uniquely shaped root stocks, making them excellent materials for potted plants. In gardens, they are best planted in clusters along forest edges, streams, ponds, and beside rocks, or scattered under sparse woods. Rhododendrons are also great for hedges, and the hairy rhododendron can be pruned into various shapes. Rhododendron-themed gardens are particularly distinctive. Rhododendrons can be used medicinally, and some are also edible. The flowers of the azalea are sour but non-toxic and can be eaten raw; the flowers of the large white rhododendron and the thick-stem rhododendron remain popular vegetables among the people of central Yunnan. Branches, leaves, and flowers of the yellow azalea can be soaked and fermented to make insecticidal pesticides; the Dahurian rhododendron, among others, can be used in medicine. The bark and leaves of some species are rich in tannins and can be used to extract tannin; the wood and root stocks of rhododendrons are fine and tough in texture, suitable for making bowls, chopsticks, basins, cups, tobacco pipes, and other daily handicrafts. Rhododendron flowers are sweet, slightly bitter, mild, and fragrant, with certain medicinal value in traditional medicine — they dispel rheumatism, regulate menstruation and blood flow, calm the nerves, and relieve irritability. Locals often stew these flowers with pig’s trotters to treat women’s gynecological issues. Long-term consumption can have whitening and freckle-removing effects.