Homecoming, the "Mother Flower" from the land

When I was a child, I lived at my grandma’s house for a while. During holidays, my cousin would take me to fish in the river and climb trees to pick apples. Once, my brother took me to the vegetable field to pick cucumbers and tomatoes wantonly. Later, I was found to have gone to my grandma’s house and accused us of “crimes.” It was my cousin who shouldered all the mistakes. Of course he was beaten. , he is the only one who is punished.

Every year, grandpa would plant a beautiful flower, yellow and orange, around the wall of the Dikeng courtyard. He would sit in the Dikeng courtyard and look at the sky and the flowers fluttering in the wind. They were so beautiful. Awesome. Grandpa said that this kind of orange flower is for viewing, and only the yellow flower can be eaten. And I didn’t know the name of this kind of flower until I grew up - daylily.

? This time is the best memory of my childhood.

When I grow up, I rarely see this kind of flower again. By chance, writer Mo Bai mentioned that his hometown was full of day lilies. With this childhood memory, we came to Huaiyang, the hometown of day lilies in China.

Daylily is a species unique to my country and has been cultivated for more than two thousand years. Huaiyang's day lily has unique seven pistils and is the best among day lilies. As early as the Han Dynasty, it had become famous throughout the country and became a tribute for pilgrims. Su Shi, the great writer of the Song Dynasty, went to Chenzhou (Huaiyang was called Chenzhou in ancient times) for an outing. After tasting Huaiyang day lilies, he wrote in Supoting of Chenzhou that "there is no precious jade in the farmer's house, and the yellow flowers everywhere are gold hairpins." Excellent words, high praise.

In the morning light, we came to Zhangqiao Village, Lincai Town, the daylily planting base of Huaiyang Jinnong Industrial Co., Ltd. In the endless fragrant daylily fields, the villagers were racing against time to pick them. With.

The daylilies we eat are actually buds that have never bloomed. Day lilies bloom in midsummer every year. When picking day lilies, they must be picked just before the yellow flowers bloom to ensure the best quality. Every time you pick them, you are racing against time. Secretary Zhang of the village committee said: In ancient China, daylily has always symbolized the affection of a child to his mother. Its status is comparable to that of carnations today, and it is the mother flower of China. "Who says that the heart of an inch of grass will reap three rays of spring light" refers to day lily. After telling the story, he also showed us the unique seven pistils of Huaiyang daylily.

Since ancient times, daylily has been regarded as a treasure that is as valuable as gold. It is cool in nature and sweet in taste. It has the functions of clearing away heat and diuresis, strengthening the spleen and appetizing, relaxing muscles and activating collaterals, stopping bleeding and relieving troubles. It is rich in nutrients. It contains 1.5 times the protein, fat, calcium and iron of spinach, and its vitamin content is 10 times higher than that of cabbage. It is also rich in minerals.

The harvested flower buds must be steamed immediately, otherwise the flowers will still bloom, and the daylily steamed in the farmhouse pot has the best taste. The color of the steamed day lilies becomes darker, and after a few days of drying, the delicious day lilies are ready for the market. This traditional craft has gradually disappeared in rural areas where labor is currently scarce, and has been replaced by fumigation and antiseptic processing methods using various additives. Now, it is no longer easy to eat the original flavor of day lily.

Land can always give people hope, but it requires more diligent cultivation by humans. This time, I would like to thank Yuan Lixing of the Huaiyang Political Consultative Conference, Yuan Dongsheng of the Huaiyang Photographers Association, and Zhang Huawei, the inheritor of Huaiyang Ni Ni Dog, for their liaison and leadership. Every folk delicacy of Dashu Homecoming has the contributions of friends from different regions. , this is another search and return with deep affection, and I wish Huaiyang daylily can get better and better, and truly live up to its reputation as a national geographical indication protected product.

? About the author of the text

Zhang Jiao, founder of Dashu Space, documentary director, and advocate of intangible cultural heritage protection.

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? About the author of the picture

Yuan Dongsheng is a member of the Chinese Portrait Photography Association, a member of the China Photographic Copyright Association, and currently serves as the 13th member of the CPPCC Huaiyang County He is a member of the Standing Committee of the 2016 Huaiyang County Photographers Association and the vice chairman of the Huaiyang County Photographers Association. Most of his photos are about the natural scenery and humanistic documentary of his hometown. Many of his works have been published in national and provincial media.