The Origin of Nanjing Wu Tong Street

There are three theories about the origin of the buttonwood tree in Nanjing:

The first argument is that Song Meiling, the wife of Chiang Kai-shek, likes French buttonwood, so Chiang Kai-shek deliberately introduced buttonwood and planted it all over the street, hoping that his wife could see it.

The second argument is that French missionaries introduced the buttonwood tree as a gift to Sun Yat-sen at the Feng 'an ceremony to welcome him.

The third argument is that Sun Yat-sen likes buttonwood. When the Republic of China was founded in Nanjing, the Nanjing government introduced buttonwood from France in order to promote the Three People's Principles and commemorate Dr. Sun Yat-sen.

Introduction to buttonwood:

Platanus acerifolia is a deciduous tree. Its branchlets and petioles are a little yellow-brown pubescent. There are yellow flakes on the white pith in the branches. Its leaves are oval, triangular, wide oval and sharp. Umbrella cymes are axillary or terminal, with purple flowers, white or pale pink corolla, nearly spherical drupe, and blue-purple when mature.

Platanus acerifolia "China Platanus acerifolia" belongs to Platanus genus of Platanus family, and it is also a deciduous tree with a height of15m. The trunk is straight and the bark is green and smooth. Originally from China, it is cultivated in all provinces in the north and south. Platanus acerifolia grows rapidly, the wood is suitable for making musical instruments, the bark can be used for making paper and rope, and the seeds can be eaten or pressed for oil.

Because of its smooth trunk and beautiful leaves, it is a famous ornamental tree. In ancient China, it was said that Phoenix was not a phoenix tree. Many legendary guqin are made of phoenix tree, which plays an important role in China culture. The writer Feng Zikai's article of the same name "Buttonwood Tree" is a very good one. Platanus acerifolia as an ornamental tree species has been introduced to Europe, America and many other countries.