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change in 1949 of land ownership and marketing systems in the producing areas in Guangdong, resulted in a continuing decline in supply.
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The decisive change came in the 1960's when Hong Kong metamorphosed to a highly commercialized society with profit-making as the prime goal of many business people. With this change in values, the peach blossoms, although not favoured by the older generations as they associated the flowers with "jilted love" (MEX), gradually won acceptance by the local population. The younger generation consider the reddish blossoms of the peach a symbol of prosperity. Moreover, there are now many peach gardens in the New Territories where customers can choose their plants on the spot; this is not possible in the case of Tiu Chung.
The unethical business behaviour of some hawkers also contributed to the demise of Tiu Chung. They sometimes adulterated their stock with branches of other plants such as Michelia species. The buds of these branches, though bigger, are in fact leaf buds and will naturally not produce any flowers. This is a very bad omen for the buyer, and indeed, with increasing numbers of people having this kind of bitter experience, Tiu Chung has gradually fallen into disfavour.
The fall in demand has naturally resulted in less illegal cutting. This is evidenced by the steady decline of prosecutions. There was only one case in 1985, as compared with an annual average of over 100 in the 1950's. The decrease in cutting has certainly helped the preservation of this lovely plant in the countryside.
Old custom is changing — in this case for the better, at least from the conservation viewpoint!
K. C. IU