拾级而上 | A SMALL CLIMB
Let's follow in the footsteps of Zhang Zhihe and walk up a mountain by the likes of the holy Mount Emei, located in the "Province of Abundance" - Sichuan, China. A uniquely fertile area and, with its high level of endemism, home to some of the world's most exclusive plants. Over generations farmers here have perfected the cultivation of the small and orange citrus fruit - the mandarin.
Divine Tree is a small but famous citrus farm specializing in two specific types of mandarins. They grow their fruits in symbiosis with nature, careful not to disturb the natural processes that make the trees produce their special harvest. The farm is rooted in tradition with a long heritage some even call being close to holy.
Join me up the mountain as I tell you the story of what makes the mandarins here so special.
The first stretch takes us through the small village, up into the dense and misty forest above. The quiet murmur present gets louder. And as we turn a corner the vegetation reveals a brook carrying cold water rich with minerals from the peaks above. Some of the water might still be melted snow from last winter. Walking past the roar of the waterfall we get to an almost golden grove, illuminated by the sun bouncing off all the orange fruits.
This protected area, together with the moist air and fruitful soil is the perfect environment for the luxurious Ai Yuan No. 38 to grow. This is the modern, exclusive and most sought after fruit of Divine Tree. Small, smooth and with an inside so neat you can almost drink it with a straw.
As the forest start to open up, we arrive at the last checkpoint of our climb. The old mountain hut where it all started. Once the base of operations, it now serves as a comfortable and well deserved resting place for anyone looking and moving upwards. Let's stop for a minute and take in the view.
It is here, in lonesome trees on small plateaus close to the peak, where our second friend grows. The Unshu Mikan. This cold and rugged environment with high winds and cold winters has hardened the fruit trees. What they produce against all odds can most closely be descibed by comparing the experience to that of the fresh winds. Blowing over the peaks and through the forests, taking the essance of the mountain with it and capsuling it into this intensely sweet and juicy fruit.
