For 2000 years she has awaited you……

Part of living in the city is learning to cope with stress and the day to day grind. 

We head out early in the morning, fighting through the crowds to get to work.

As the sun sets in the west, we escape back to our homes, exhausted.

Day in and day out we repeat the process because we can’t afford to stop. 

We believe our lives are in our own hands and that if you don’t try, then you are giving up.  

On the bright side, life is more than the compromises we have to make. 

There are beautiful things in the world that make life worthwhile. I like to use my weekends to briefly escape from reality by taking mini vacations to see the rest of the world.

This weekend I packed up again and ventured off to Xin County, next to the Huai River in the mountains .

I love to take in all the sights by travelling alone.

A writer once said, “When you travel alone, you’re going on a date with nature” and I couldn’t agree more. 

I explored the mountain like a fish in the sea.

Everywhere I looked there were green hills, thick woods and fog in between the trees.

I stopped, closed my eyes and listened. There was the trickling sound of a stream flowing down the mountain.

I smelled the scent of flowers. I wondered, it’s late fall. What could be giving off such a delectable scent during this time of the year?

I curiously began tracing the lingering scent, getting closer. After making a turn, I was surprised and delighted to see a picture of spring appear before my eyes.  

An endless forest lay ahead of trees with blossoms and pure white flowers that looked like white butterflies landing in between the green branches. How can that be? That can’t be right!

    Not only were there flowers, but also an abundance of fruit on the branches.

I couldn’t believe my eyes. It’s a rarity to have flowers and fruit on a tree at the same time.

I began to ponder the grandeur of nature. 

As I was walking,

I ran into a farmer that was picking fruit off the trees. His friendly smile expressed how happy he was to harvest. 

After speaking with him,

I found out that these trees were the camellia trees I had heard so much about. 

Camellia trees belong to the same family as tea trees. The existence of camellia trees can be traced back to 100 B.C., which is over 2000 years ago.

This magical tree predominately grows in China with the rare exceptions of Southeast Asia and Japan.  

Unlike ordinary plants, camellia trees take their time to nurture their fruit. 

Blossoms appear briefly in the fall, then the trees weather through rainy fall days, harsh winter snows, gusting spring winds, hot summer days, then finally welcomes matured fruit and new flowers the following fall. 

The locals told me the trees only grow on the hills 650-2000 feet above sea level. Here, year round abundance of sunlight, pure air and fresh, spring waters compose the ideal conditions for camellia fruit to flourish. Next year also looks promising since the new fruit is already growing.

I was so fortunate to see the camellia blossoms and fruit as well as share the joy of harvesting with the farmers. I wondered to myself, how could I be so lucky? 

 Unlike its close tea tree relative which focuses on embedding nutrients into the leaves, camellia trees puts all its essence into making fruit. The fruit takes 13 months to mature, absorbing all of nature’s elements to produce its own natural wonder ------ camellia oil. 

Modern research has found that Camellia oil is a non-drying oil, which means it will not oxidize and is easy for human body to digest and absorb.

Being rich in unsaturated fatty acids and oleic acid, it can significantly reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer.

 Camellia oil is also rich in Vitamin E, which plays an important role in removing free radicals and slowing down the aging process of the human body.

Camellia oil has been dubbed ‘Oriental olive oil’, but this nickname substantially underrates its value. Compared to other edible oils, camellia oil has proven itself to be the most nutritious and beneficial edible oil for our health, far surpassing olive oil in terms of health value. 

Unfortunately, due to its low production rate, only royal families had the pleasure to enjoy camellia oil in the past; it was very difficult for ordinary people to obtain.

Modern science is developing at a rate so fast that it sometimes causes concern, however, with new technology comes increased efficiency and convenience. 

For example, modern production and advanced physical press technology has allowed camellia oil to be available to ordinary people instead of royal families only. 

Camellia oil can be used in so many ways.

It can be added into soup to bring out an even more delicious flavor.

 Cooked with meat and fish to make them more tender and taste fresher.

And used while baking to give desserts a flakier and crisper texture.

You can use camellia oil for frying and the oil will remain stable at high temperatures. It can also be consumed directly without heating.

Just mix honey with a teaspoon of camellia oil and consume it in the morning on an empty stomach to give you a full day’s worth of vitamins.

Some say that to see how happy a family is, look in their kitchen. 

People carefully choose ingredients and use camellia oil to make a table full of food. Add this deliciousness to your life. It doesn’t get any better than this.

For 2000 years, camellia trees have stood here in wait for people to discover their beauty.

I was fortunate enough to meet them and their magnificence will linger in my mind for the rest of my life. 

Having camellia oil with us every day, the escape we seek is right here with us.