New Top Ten Scenes of the West Lake-Sweet Osmanthus Rain at Manjuelong Village
This scenic spot is located at the region of Manjuelong Village and before the Stone House Hole. Manjuelong, commonly known as Manjianong, abounded in osmanthus and is famous scenic spot for appreciating osmanthus of the West Lake. During the time of Hangzhou falling into enemy’s hands in the Anti-Japanese War, a lot of osmanthus trees were cut down, only several old osmanthus trees around the houses of a few farmers were left. After the victory of Anti-Japanese War, some of them were slightly restored. After 1950, a new batch of osmanthus trees is planted, and the number of the osmanthus trees together with the old ones reaches ten thousand around 1955. The oldest tree of them is of about 200 years, and in the year of full bloom, the biggest plant can yield one dan of osmanthus, which has become an important economic income for the local villagers.
This “osmanthus world” was finally built from generation to generation. At present, even each and every family plants osmanthus trees, around the house, or in or out of the village, or on the whole mountains or beside the roads, which can be seen everywhere. Around the Mid-Autumn Festival of every year, the osmanthus on the whole trees competes to blossom with fragrance floating far away, which gladdens the heart and refreshes the mind. The species of osmanthus have golden osmanthus, silver osmanthus, red osmanthus, four-season osmanthus, etc. The flower of osmanthus is very small but large in quantity. It falls on the days with heavy dew when they are in full bloom, the flower often falls with the wind and is as fine as rain drop. People can be immersed in the osmanthus rain and its fragrance when walking in the clusters of osmanthus trees, which is of a unique interest and charm.