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NOTES AND QUERIES
THE DECLINE OF TIU CHUNG
AS A CHINESE NEW YEAR FLOWER*
Tiu Chung (Enkianthus quinqueflorus) is a native plant of southern China and is one of the best known flowering plants in Hong Kong. It is a rigid wild shrub with a blotched stem, attaining a height of about 2 metres. Its shiny deciduous leaves are narrowly elliptical in outline and are crowded at the branch tips. At the end of January and early February, clusters of small waxy pink bell-like flowers appear from the ends of the branches and for this reason it is called “Tiu Chung", or "Hanging Bell Flower". Since its flowering period coincides with the Lunar New Year Festival, it has long been widely used for decorative purposes in living rooms and, to a lesser extent, in business premises.
The custom of displaying Tiu Chung during the Lunar New Year became well established among the residents of Guangzhou (Canton) early in the Ch'ing Dynasty. The popularity of the plant was due, in addition to its decorative value, to the fact that people could derive favourable symbolic meanings from its flowering and seeding characteristics. The bells at the tips of the branches were interpreted as "Chong Yuen Ko Chun” (重院高樽), meaning "Came First in the Imperial Examination”. The great number of bells and seeds was taken to symbolize "Dor Tze Dor Suen" (多子多孫), meaning "having numerous descendants". These were highly regarded values.
This custom was adopted in the late 19th Century by the Chinese residents of urban Hong Kong, who were predominantly Cantonese. Since the plant was abundant in several places locally, such as Tai Tam, Castle Peak and Lantau, its branches were cut for sale in the local markets. The Government, alarmed at the widespread destruction of the plant, introduced legislation in 1913 (Section 3 of the Licensing Ordinance) to prohibit its possession and sale. The prohibition was later incorporated in...