Flower language and legend of Kapok

Flower language of Kapok

The flower language of Kapok is to cherish the people around you and the happiness around you.

The legend of Kapok

It is said that there was an old hero of the Li ethnic group in Wuzhi Mountain, named Jibei, who often led his people to defeat invasions by foreign races. However, during a battle, the old hero was captured due to betrayal by a traitor. He was tied to a kapok tree by the enemy and tortured, and was eventually brutally killed. According to legend, the old hero later turned into a tall and upright kapok tree. The local people called the kapok tree "Jibei" to commemorate this old national hero.

The name Kapok was first recorded in Ge Hong's work "Miscellaneous Notes of Western Capital" in the Jin Dynasty. During the Western Han Dynasty, Zhao Tuo, the King of Nanyue, presented a beacon tree to Emperor Wu of Han as a tribute. This beacon tree is what we call the kapok tree. There was also a written record of its appearance: "12 feet high, with three branches on one trunk, and it looks like it's about to burn at night."

How did the Kapok Hero Tree get its nickname? First, let’s look at its appearance. The tree is tall, and its trunk is covered with thorns, which gives it a certain deterrent effect. The branches stretch out in circles, as if declaring sovereignty to the sky, which is very majestic. In addition, the bright red color of the kapok flower seems to be dyed with the blood of heroes. The flowers bloom without leaves, and the bright red color does not need the foil of green leaves, so it has the laudatory name of the "hero tree". Chen Gongyin of the Qing Dynasty was the first to compare kapok to a hero. In his “Kapok Song” he described kapok as “a hero with a thick beard and a big face, and a majestic appearance with a tall crown and a strong spirit.”

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