Yanjun Liu, G1, Shenzhen College of International of Education Impressed by the kapok tree’s majestic height and dignified blossoms, a city in China’s southwestern Sichuan Province names itself after the blossom. The city is Panzhihua or Blossoms Riding High Boughs. After cheering people up during the short blooming season, the blossoms fall on the ground. They don’t fade or wither even if they fall. They preserve freshness for people who would like to pick them up. My Grandma used to gather kapok flowers to boil in soup. They taste a bit bitter. All goodness comes from inner bitterness and hardship, as Grandma used to say. For generations, people in this region have utilized kapok blossoms to treat cough, diarrhea and indigestion. As the Chinese medical theory goes, kapok blossoms acquire extreme “yang,” or positive energy through absorbing the heat of the sun. When summer comes, the kapok fruits ripen and burst. Kapok produces the best-quality short fiber in its seeds. People use the Kapok fiber as fillings in pillows, cushions and quilts. These resilient fibers, intersecting and capturing 76 percent air inside them, are ideal for insulation and keeping warm. Furthermore, kapok fibers are resistant to insects and mildew, making it an ideal material for fine clothes. And its nature of yang also gives it a mystic air. When Bodhidarma, founder of Zen Buddhism, came to Shaolin Temple from South India in the 520s, he carried with him an elaborate holy cassock made from the kapok fiber. The cassock was viewed as not only a symbol of authority for priesthood but also of something that possessed protective power. Master Bodhidharma escaped five attempts of assassination by poisoning. At the sixth and last attempt, he knowingly took the poison and died to put all ill sentiments and discords at peace in the sacrificial spirit of the kapok blossom. This year the kapok blossoms silently mark the sacrificial heroism of doctors and nurses who risk their lives to treat patients infected by the novel coronavirus. They also mark the forbearance of people in locked-down cities and towns in Hubei Province. They would rather give up their lives than letting the virus spread. This year, there are no better blossoms than kapok to dedicate to the brave, selfless and heroic. When you see kapok blossoms on your way to work or school in the city, please give a salute to the heroism that keeps this nation strong. | 