Essay

Text/Nangang

All the past seems to have happened in the wandering years.

Every year in May, when walking in Dujiangyan, I can’t help but think of something and feel like I want to let go of something. The situation is like the jacarandas in full bloom, which have just sent away the whole garden with enthusiasm. The spring purple magnolias, red begonias and white pear blossoms bloomed to perfection overnight to withstand the strong winds and rains of early summer. The lost elegance seems to be only an embellishment in the green belt. Even so, she still insists on extending from the ancient city of Guanxian County to the main road of Puyang, with clusters of blue and purple blooming into a pride that is proud of all things.

Climbing up Yulei Mountain and looking up, you will see several radiating avenues from near to far, with different scenery, trees and flowers. The first thing that comes into view is the bustling Dujiangyan Avenue, which runs parallel to the Baitiao River. When the crabapples are in full bloom, the spring flowers are fragrant, welcoming guests and friends from all directions with smiles, and open their arms, stretching all the way to Chengdu Shawan; while the endless Tianfu Avenue is not Likewise, tall camphor trees guard both sides of the road like rows of guards, following the direction of Jiang'an River, passing through the Jingjing Irrigation Area, and heading straight into the embrace of Chengdu.

There are also two avenues, one is Guantian Road, shaded by metasequoias, which connects to the Shaxi Line in Tangchang Town. The other is the uniquely charming Puyang Main Road, which runs along the Puyang River from Guankou through the Qingcheng Mountain Tourism Equipment Industry Functional Zone (Economic Development Zone), and meets the Pengqing Line below Puyangchang Town and leads directly to Pengzhou.

The most distinctive feature of Puyang Main Road is the Jianxin intersection, which runs from Yijie District Sports Park to Shangshan Bridge opposite Yihu Lake. It is about 5 kilometers long and has four lanes in both directions. The green belts on both sides divert people and vehicles in an orderly manner. sequence. On the two- to three-meter-wide green belt in the middle of the main road, plants such as magnolia, crape myrtle, red maple, and red-leafed plum are densely spaced and staggered, as if tying long seasonal ribbons to the wide and smooth main road.

The entire main road is covered with flowers and green trees. However, in the scenery that people are used to seeing, Jacaranda is different, and it can be said that it has gathered thousands of favors throughout its life. Especially the blossoming fragrance often attracts many citizens to stop and watch in early summer. Walking through this main road, you have the illusion of tulips hanging on the treetops in Keukenhof Park in the Netherlands, and you also have a little feeling of wandering on the Atlantic Highway.

Especially in May this year, the jacarandas on Puyang Main Road are even more intoxicating.

Jacaranda, native to Brazil, is a tall deciduous tree, up to more than 20 meters tall, tall and handsome. Its flowers are blue-purple, usually blooming from April to June. The four-lobed corolla is as slender as a bell, and the leaves are like bird feathers, small, numerous, smooth, and silky in texture. Its branches are gray-white, the bark of the trunk is smooth and delicate without deep cracks, and the tree shape is stretched and spread out.

There are fifty or sixty of these trees, standing in the middle of the main road, like a burly young man, with a heroic appearance. This flower is like a lover in early summer, wearing a long purple dress, hugging the clear sky on the branch, raising your head, just one glance, your heart will beat and you will stare at it for a long time.

Some people say that this kind of flower, when it blooms for a season, is a poignant and romantic love. Even the petals falling in the wind are like kisses falling lightly. Because she feels that she is fleeting and really rare, those who appreciate her are always impatient and come one after another. Many people like blue, not to mention that blue also has purple in it. This is not only because of its unassuming calmness, but also because of its inner temperament: ordinary, light and beautiful, tenderness and perseverance.

Along Puyang Main Road, there is still a story related to Jacaranda.

The "5.12" earthquake brought a catastrophe to Dujiangyan. It was only with the generous support of the people of the country and Shanghai that the city of Dujiangyan was reborn as quickly as possible. At that time, the Puyang main road reconstruction and expansion project was facing demolition. A girl in her 20s stood up and took the lead in signing the demolition agreement. Her only request was that the jacaranda tree in front of the old house be transplanted to the main road.

This scene was seen by the young man from Shanghai who was busy taking measurements. He was deeply moved by the girl's yearning for beauty and broad mind. Later, on the busy construction site, you could always see girls delivering water and food, and near the resettlement houses, you could always see young men coming and going. Later, one figure turned into two figures. The young man's appearance is like a touch of spring green, comforting the girl's heart and lighting up another light for her to pursue a better life. With the completion of Puyang Main Road, the two came together happily.

After hearing this story, looking at the jacaranda again, the flower endowed with love brings a different emotion to people, with more clarity and etherealness. Especially the clusters and clusters of blue and purple flowers, smiling gracefully and swaying on the branches, as if they are messengers of love. Anyone who is close to them will have a lasting love.

Not long ago, Puyang Main Road welcomed a family of three. It was the girl and the boy who came back from Shanghai with their children to visit their relatives. They walked on the main road, looking for the jacaranda tree from back then, while telling their children the rebirth of the city of Dujiangyan more than 10 years ago, as well as the tragic stories that happened at the foot of Qingcheng Mountain, along the Yangliu River, and in Tongxin Square.

About the author

Nangang, vice president of Sichuan Provincial Li Bing Research Association, member of Sichuan Provincial Writers Association and Chengdu Writers Association. Novels, essays, poems, etc. are scattered in newspapers and magazines, and a collection of works has been published.

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