In Yunnan province, flowers are valued for their taste as well as beauty
Lichun (立春, “start of spring”), the first of the 24 solar terms in the lunar calendar, officially ushered in the spring season on March 20 this year, and with it the promise of colorful blossoms decorating tree branches all over China.
In the southwestern Yunnan province, however, spring is a feast for the tongue as much as it is for the eyes. As a local folk saying goes, “flowers are vegetables (鲜花当蔬菜).”
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Tan Yunfei is the editorial director of The World of Chinese. She reports on Chinese language, food, traditions, and society. Having grown up in a rural community and mainly lived in the cities since college, she tries to explore and better understand China's evolving rural and urban life with all readers.
