8 people Tuesday 27 July 2021 The secrets of the grandmaster of wisteria

Zhao Chunhua and Yu Hong ang Lin traveled 68 times to Chongming Island where the 10th China Flower Expo was Wheld from May 21 to July 2. Two days after the opening, he was given two awards — New Variety for Nursery Stock Award and Special Contri- bution Award for Nursery Stock Industry — by the Nursery Stock Branch of China Flower Association. The awards recognized his Wisteria Corridor, one of the highlights of the flower expo, and his efforts to promote the plantation of wisteria nationwide. From the 600-day countdown to the expo, he was busy with picking the source plants, renovating the soil, de- signing the pergola, matching varieties in different colors and planting 345 vines on the 2,053-meter-long pergola. His efforts became a wanghong (In- ternet celebrity) spot for visitors to take photos during the flower expo. Si xty-th ree-year-old Wang was delight- ed to see the scene. Wang was born and raised in Jiading Town. He was sent by the Chinese gov- ernment to learn agricultural technology in Japan in 1985. After returning, he worked in a Japa- nese company for several years and speaks fluent Japanese. His language skill impressed the Ji- Wang Lin picks and arranges the vines of wisteria flowers to surprise visitors of this purple waterfall during the 10th China ading government, so when Fujimoto Flower Expo. The wisteria corridor was a must-go spot for visitors to take photos during the event. — Wang Jiajun Michio, a renowned horticulturist and the founder of today’s Wisteria Park, visited Jiading, Wang was assigned as several visits to Fujimoto’s home in Japan his translator. and gained his respect. In fact, Wang, himself, was fond of Fujimoto not only sent more than 10 I need to keep wisteria, and his older brother was the scions of wisteria, but also gave his manager of the Wisteria Park which was guidance for grafting. on running and built through the efforts of Fujimoto and Three years later, Wang decided working and Jiading in 1996. to take over the responsibility of Every year when Fujimoto flew from promoting wisteria flowers on devote all my Japan to prune the wisteria in Jiading, his own after then 82-year-old energy and Wang rushed to the park to see how Fu- Fujimoto asked: “How many jimoto is devoting himself, still climbing years do you think I can still intelligence the ladder to prune the flower at such a climb the ladder?” to make ripe age. “I will try my best to make In 2011, he decided, more or less on a wisteria root in China,” Wang contribution whim, to grow wisteria in his daughter’s promised. to wisteria garden to celebrate her newly-purchased In his spare time, Wang took house. Fujimoto to Guangzhou and Hong promotion. After hearing the news, Fujimoto sent Kong, not only for investigation but three vines to him, and that was when also for traveling, and Fujimoto also Wang Lin took Wang as his family member. Wang started to think that if there were Creator of the Wisteria a local wisteria base and professional To fullfill his promise to Fujimoto, Corridor at the 10th gardeners in Jiading, things would be Wang not only built his own company easier. engaged in rattan gardening, but also China Flower Expo So Wang made up his mind to study gained a land of 10 mu (6,667 square In recent years, Wang’s footprint has During his days of promoting long- how to grow and treat wisteria. He paid meters) as the base to grow and experi- ment in Huating Town. reached most of the places in China in spike wisteria, Wang cried twice. “The wisteria flower I grew shouldn’t order to let long-spike wisteria root, “The first time was in December 2019, be simply called ‘wisteria’ but ‘long- grow and reproduce. not long before the outbreak of novel spike’ wisteria,” said Wang. “The longest “Hubei, Hunan, Guizhou, Jiangxi, coronavirus. I took train to Beijing and spike can reach around 150 centimeters Zhejiang, Anhui, Jiangsu, Shandong, Fu- arrived at 2:30am. It was freezing, and with a great density of spikes. More jian, Chongqing, Sichuan, Henan, Hebei, I was alone,” he said. “And the second than 100 spikes can be grown in every Yunnan, Beijing, Inner Mongolia...” said time was in April at the Shanghai In- square meter, tier upon tier, which is Wang, counting his footprints. “I re- ternational Flower Show when I was marvelous.” member the longest travel of a year was awarded the gold prize for the wisteria. “Now, a 180-centimeter spike has been 57,000 kilometers,” said Wang. These were tears of excitement and tears cultivated, even longer than the height But busy work resulted in Wang ne- of joy!” of a man!” Wang added. glecting his family sometimes. Now people can see long-spike wisteria Wang also experimented growing wis- When he took over the responsibility flowers in Yuyuantan Park in Beijing, teria flowers in Inner Mongolia where he of growing the long-spike wisteria cor- the Shanghai Academy of Agricultural faced obstacles such as severe cold. ridor for the flower expo, his wife was Sciences, the Red Bean Culture Garden “We found that the seedlings of 1-cen- diagnosed with a severe disease and had in Changshu and the Zhou Ji Green Expo timeter-wide stem died easily because of an operation. Garden in Nantong. the frozen weather, but if they reached But Wang chose to stay in Chongming And more wisteria corridors are 3 centimeters wide, the rate of survival instead of going home to take care of his popping up in parks throughout the would be greatly raised,” said Wang with wife, which made his wife angry. country. joy. Fortunately, his wife finally recovered Wang dreams that long-spiked wiste- When embellishing the wisteria in the and also visited the f lower expo together ria can spread across the country. flower expo, he also took the flower’s with Wang. “I need to keep on running and work- Wang (right) learns about wisteria peak time into account. For example, After seeing the fabulous wisteria cor- ing and devoting all my energy and growing and grafting technologies from long-spike wisteria blooms later than ridor, she was relieved and said she was intelligence to make a contribution to Fujimoto Michio. — Liu Jingxian domestic ones, so the timing is vital. so proud of her husband. wisteria promotion,” he said.