Tang Tang | Dali Winter Cherry Blossom Tour

Want Want ｜Preface

Tang Tang was the last guest of 2023. Because it was the last day, it seemed that many things could be restarted tomorrow, and it seemed that we could calm down more. We sat under the tree and talked for a long time, but I forgot what we talked about.

The biggest difficulty of this job is talking to strangers. Usually I would pick up a pine cone or a branch and hold it in my hand, but I didn't pick up anything that day.

The sun was shining brightly and very warm, without any clouds. Cherry blossom petals fell at my feet. On the way back, Tang Tang said that this year had been somewhat turbulent, and he hoped that day would be a beautiful ending, as a new year would begin again.

Tang Tang｜Dali Winter Cherry Blossom Tour

I have been to Xizhou many times, perhaps because it is a place where people can find a kind of peace. Cangshan Mountain, Erhai Lake, wind , flowers, snow and moon may just be its names, but calming down the restless heart is its spirituality.

But I have never been into the mountains after coming here so many times. Maybe I subconsciously always think that this place is more suitable for leisurely staying. This time when I came to Xizhou, I had no plans to go into the mountains.

Ever since Locke came back, I have had an unclear feeling about hiking in the past few years. I don’t hate it, nor do I like it. I just don’t want to. I only occasionally take short routes this year (23 years).

Before coming here, I talked to a friend about wanting to take a walk nearby, and my friend recommended Cangshan Hiking Home. I looked through the route description before booking, and it was not over-packaged, and the text had a sense of intimacy. The text is a very straightforward reflection of the heart, and I thought this was probably a very warm team. I planned to take a simple walk, so I chose a walking route: winter cherry blossom viewing.

The gathering point for viewing the winter cherry blossoms was in a village at the foot of Cangshan Mountain, which was some distance away from me. When I got there, the team leader Wangwang was already waiting in front of a Bai ethnic group house. Seeing that there was no one around, we nodded to each other, which was considered as the contact signal. He looked very much like the team leader I had imagined, thin.

It was a little cold on the mountain in the morning, and there was a thin layer of white frost on the ground, but after walking a short distance, the scenery in front of us made people forget the coldness of winter. This is also the reason why I like Dali in winter. It does not feel too bleak, and the colors are still full and warm. The winter in the mountain is more beautiful than the ancient town. The deep green in the mountain has faded the freshness of the tender green and is more intense. The yellow is also very outstanding, like the sun falling on the leaves, which adds a bit of vitality to the winter .

What makes Dali's winter more vibrant and warmer is the unbridled blooming of winter cherry blossoms, which can be seen from afar. The color is darker than the pink of peach blossoms. The name "scorching cherry blossoms" is a bit difficult to pronounce, but it is very descriptive, so it doesn't matter if I borrow two words. The tree crowns are very lush, some are round, some are fan-shaped, and the postures are different, but each tree has a kind of beauty that is unobservant of others. When you get close to it and stand under the tree, the petals in the sky are like the stars in the night sky of the plateau , densely packed, but not so far away, but right in front of you. The sunlight leaks through the gaps and sprinkles on my face, and I feel an inexplicable sense of happiness in my heart.

Going up the mountain, we can find a winter cherry tree every few steps. When you think that the current tree is extremely beautiful, the deeper you go, you will always find that it is beautiful in a different way. Every time Wangwang sees a tree, he will repeat: Look, this one is very beautiful, very different. Then he will keep pressing the camera as if he is competing for hand speed, and then add some mysterious movements.

At first I didn't think too much about what he was feeling, but as we talked more, I found a description that fit him well: human nature is like a frozen lake, hard and cold on the surface, but deep, churning, and vivid underneath. On the way down the mountain, Wangwang said that the cherry blossoms on the mountain were not connected in a row, but were planted one by one, very independent. I suddenly understood what he meant. Yes, it is more beautiful when they grow one by one and become what they are.

The vast forest of cherry blossoms looks spectacular at first glance, but because there is no free space, they all grow in the same shape. However, these winter cherry blossoms grow on the mountain. For hundreds of years, each tree stands here independently, growing freely in different shapes, with unique beauty and vitality.

Perhaps the winter cherry blossoms of Cangshan Mountain bring me more than just visual beauty.