The Taoranting Park Begonia Spring Flower Cultural Festival will open on March 30. The Spring Flower Cultural Festival is dominated by ground-planted begonias, and the park has launched boutique flower-viewing routes, night viewing check-in routes, boutique exhibitions and cultural activities to allow visitors to experience the beauty of spring. Ground-planted begonias are expected to enter the full flowering period around the Qingming Festival, and the indoor begonia bonsai has buds to be released.
On March 28, 2024, in Taoranting Park, the indoor begonia bonsai is in full bloom. Photo by Beijing News reporter Xue Jun
The palm-sized small begonia variety debuts
Begonia is one of the traditional Chinese flowers, with a chic and blooming flower. According to Wang Meng, senior engineer of the garden science and technology department of Taoranting Park, Taoranting Park has been creating a spring flowering plant landscape dominated by begonias for more than ten consecutive years, and has collected the "four products of begonias" of traditional Chinese begonias - Xifu begonia, weeping silk begonia, sticking stem begonia, papaya begonia, and at the same time planting a large number of North American begonia varieties such as "gorgeous" and "royal family", elegant and beautiful begonia flowers are in full bloom, unfolding a gorgeous moving picture. Xifu begonias will be the first to bloom in early April.
In this Begonia Spring Flower Cultural Festival, the park has set up themed landscaping in the East Gate Inner Square, North Gate Inner Square and Taoran Archway. Walking into the east gate of the park, the large-scale landscape work "One Step One Scene, Yue Begonia Flower Language" comes into view, and a group of begonia flower boutique bonsai is cleverly integrated into the background picture, like a condensed version of the landscape painting. The landscaping of Taoran archway combines screen art with begonia bonsai and multi-color cloud disk, with a strong cultural atmosphere. The landscaping of the square inside the north gate combined with the existing planting of begonias in the park brings out the landscape effect of "returning to Taoran in spring, and the begonias are prosperous", and has become a good place for citizens and tourists to relax and sightsee.
On March 28, 2024, Taoranting Park, tourists check in the landscape installation full of spring. The Taoranting Park Begonia Spring Flower Cultural Festival will open on March 30. Photo by Beijing News reporter Xue Jun
In this Begonia Spring Flower Cultural Festival, visitors can enjoy the Yizhou Begonia that integrates "the pride of plum blossoms, the magnificence of peonies, and the charm of rhododendrons" in the indoor boutique bonsai exhibition on the north shore of West Lake, and feel the perfect integration of flower arrangement art and Chinese charm.
Wang Meng said that Yizhou begonia is a hybrid strain of Xifu begonia and begonia sticker, with more flower colors, such as the flowers of Baishou varieties are rare bean green at the beginning, and then slowly fade. The Huizhiling variety is a multi-colored begonia with a light pink background and a splatter-style rose red on the petals, a phenomenon called "Izujin". It is worth mentioning that the small and micro begonia varieties exhibited for the first time are only the size of the palm, one is to retract and prune the Yizhou begonia, and the other is the slow-growing longevity plum series, which can bloom in all seasons if properly maintained, small and cute.
Activities such as observation of the phenological period of begonias will be planned
"Hancai Wenhua - Liu Huaishan Chinese Painting Exhibition" is located on the first floor of the water pavilion in Taoranting Park, showing the outstanding style of the begonia flowers painted by the painter. In the outdoor "Begonia Poetry Exhibition" opposite the exhibition, visitors can enjoy the praise inscriptions of the literati and artists of the past dynasties on the begonia flowers, and feel the cultural connotation of traditional Chinese poetry.
During the event, the park set up a night viewing check-in route for the first time, hanging poetry hanging lanterns on both sides of the main road of the north gate. In front of the popular science hut in the park, the begonia flowers are projected on the ground, creating a colorful and graceful night check-in atmosphere, bringing elegant cultural conception to tourists to enjoy the flowers at night.
On March 28, tourists visit Taoran Market. Photo by Beijing News reporter Xue Jun
Next to the west pier of the park, Taoran Market integrates shopping, food and entertainment, and visitors can buy their favorite begonia souvenirs while tasting food. Every weekend, the park will also plan offline activities such as observation of the phenological period of begonias, intangible cultural heritage displays, and handicraft experiences, inviting visitors to have an in-depth understanding of the knowledge and culture of begonias.
On March 28, Taoranting Park, tourists experience painted gypsum flowers. Photo by Beijing News reporter Xue Jun
■ Route recommendation
Viewing route 1: "Hancai Wenhua - Liu Huaishan Chinese Painting Exhibition" on the first floor of the water pavilion → the east gate of the park→ Taoran archway → "Begonia Blossoms" indoor boutique bonsai exhibition → the north gate of the park
Viewing route 2: Taoran Market → → Yueji Garden at the West Gate of the Park → "Begonia Blossoms" Indoor Boutique Bonsai Exhibition
Viewing route 3: Take a boat trip to the east and west piers of the park to take in the beautiful scenery of the park.
■ Tips
The 9th Begonia Spring Flower Cultural Festival in Taoranting Park will be held from March 30 (Saturday) to April 28 (Sunday), and the event will last for 30 days. During the event, the price of admission tickets will be adjusted from 2 yuan/person for full-price tickets to 10 yuan/person, and 1 yuan/person for half-price tickets to 5 yuan/person. Valid for annual, quarterly, monthly passes, senior cards, etc. The price adjustment plan has been publicized in each gate area according to the relevant requirements.
Beijing News reporter Zhang Lu
Edited by Liu Mengjie and proofread by Zhao Lin