Osmanthus has been grown in the land of Hangzhou for nearly a thousand years and in 1983, osmanthus has been selected as the city flower of Hangzhou, which explain the popularity of the flower. In Hangzhou, you will find osmanthus trees almost everywhere and smell the fragrant scent permeating every corner of Hangzhou. The osmanthus in "Sweet Osmanthus in Manjuelong Village", whose osmanthus cultivation history dates back to the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279) is the most famous among all.
Wide Variety
The Park of Sweet Osmanthus in Manjuelong Village has grown over 3000 osmanthus trees, over 80 varieties, among which, 40 trees are over 50 years old. Compared with osmanthus trees in residential areas, roadsides and other parks, the osmanthus in Manjuelong Village is more diversified and intensively grown.
Rare and Precious Variety
"Jade Curtain and Silver Silk", "Drunk Skin Red" … these osmanthus trees have interesting names and rarely seen in other areas. They are rare varieties. Take "Drunk Skin Red" for example, it is grown just opposite the No. 1 Osmanthus Tree of Hangzhou and is named for its tender and bright-colored petals, kind of like the color of a girl's cheek when she is drunk.
Poetic Atmosphere
The park of Sweet Osmanthus in Manjuelong Village is situated in mountainous areas. It can be both quiet and lively. In a beautiful setting like this, you can idle a day away, go mountain hiking to appreciate osmanthus, drink a cup of osmanthus tea, simply chat with family members, and stroll along the sinuous paths flanked by osmanthus trees, enjoying the strong fragrance of osmanthus.
Other Areas in Hangzhou to Appreciate Osmanthus
01 Hangzhou Botanical Garden
The Park of Osmanthus and Crape Myrtle is located just at the north entrance of Hangzhou Botanical Garden. It covers an area of 4.5 hectares and is home to 1000 osmanthus trees of 45 kinds and 300 crape myrtles.
02 Yue Fei's Mausoleum Area
The area around the Solitary Hill, osmanthus has already in full bloom. Stroll along the tourist paths and you can sense the sweet fragrance of osmanthus. There are osmanthus trees to be found near Yue Fei's Mausoleum and Su Causeway.
03 Wushan Hill
The commonly seen varieties in Wushan Hill are Silver Osmanthus, Golden Osmanthus and Orange Osmanthus. There are osmanthus trees all the way up the Hill.
04 Wansong Academy
The osmanthus in Wansong Academy is deeply connected with cultural elements. The number of osmanthus isn't that much and is scarcely scattered around buildings, exuding an intoxicating fragrance.
05 Qiantang River Area
There is an excellent place in Hupao Spring to appreciate osmanthus, the terrace of Dicui Pavilion (滴翠轩) where three osmanthus trees contend for beauty. These osmanthus trees are old and hence uniquely fragrant. In the western lake area of the West Lake, you will also find osmanthus near Pagoda of Six Harmonies, Bamboo-lined Path at Yunxi and Stone House Cave.
What we recommend is the osmanthus trees flanking the imperial stele of the Pagoda of Six Harmonies, whose branches are strong and of antique beauty. In addition, there is an over two-hundred-year-old osmanthus tree in Bamboo-lined Path at Yunxi whose fragrant flowers are much-anticipated this year.