Dongshan Academy, kapok red

On the thirteenth day of the first lunar month in the year of Jihai, spring was full and I was delighted to hear the red color of kapok. I came to the famous Dongshan Academy in Meizhou and admired the three ancient kapok trees in front of the academy.

Looking from a distance, these three ancient kapok trees are tall and vigorous, with red flowers like fire, and the trees are covered with lanterns. They are really beautiful. They are arranged in front of the academy gate one after another, like guards standing guard, guarding this ancient Dongshan Academy. I found my way and slowly approached these ancient kapok trees, and saw that each tree had its own unique "ID card" in front of it. After carefully observing their "ID cards", I found that they were of the same age. The heights are similar and the tree shapes are similar, just like three identical brothers, it is impossible to easily identify which one is which.

Unexpectedly, the three ancient kapok trees in front of me are already 150 years old. In these 150 spring and autumn cycles, they have experienced hundreds of years of vicissitudes, experienced the baptism of bad weather, and also bathed in the sunshine of spring. Their branches and leaves are sparse, and there are still some remaining leaves from the old year on the branches, and the new stamens are eager to climb on the branches to visit the world. The huge petals bloom flamboyantly on the branches, attracting passers-by's admiration. Suddenly a kapok flower fell in front of my eyes. The flower was dazzlingly red and it didn't shed a single petal, so I gently picked it up and held it in the palm of my hand. At this time, I remembered the poem by Gong Zizhen, a poet from the Qing Dynasty: "Falling red is not a heartless thing, it turns into spring mud to protect the flowers." Isn't this a portrayal of the kapok tree?

These ancient kapok deeply attracted my attention. I thought these ancient kapok must have their own "secrets", so I walked into Dongshan Academy to find out more about ancient kapok. Bit by bit. Dongshan Academy was founded in the 11th year of Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty (1746). It is the only remaining ancient academy in Meizhou. It was founded by Wang Zhefu, the then magistrate of Jiaying Province. It has a history of more than 270 years. It is said that after the academy was built, there was no champion for a long time. The dean of the academy went to consult a Feng Shui master. After an on-site inspection, the Feng Shui master pointed out that the "Kuixing Pavilion" in the academy was built too high. The building is nine feet high. You can pick stars with your hands, but it is not grounded. Three sticks of incense must be planted. Therefore, the three kapok trees in front of the door represent three sticks of incense. I came to the "Kuixing Pavilion" in the academy and looked out. Sure enough, I could see three kapok trees, just like three pillars of fragrant fragrance, paying homage to the "Kuixing" in the distance. With these three kapok trees, the academy's "Kui Xing Pavilion" has become popular. Every year, hundreds of students go here to pray for blessings, hoping that they will be included in the gold list.

These three kapok trees witnessed the development of Dongshan Academy. In 1913, Marshal Ye Jianying and other progressive teachers and students founded Dongshan Middle School in Dongshan Academy, thus opening a new chapter for the academy. They must be excited to be able to get along with more energetic students day and night. For more than a hundred years, the Three Kapok Trees have witnessed tens of thousands of Dongshan students becoming pillars of talent. Marshal Ye Jianying, Lieutenant General Xiao Xiangrong, Academician Zeng Yi, Dr. Zeng Xianzi, Chairman Ye Chenghai, etc. are among them. Outstanding representative.

Now that we have entered a new era, kapok trees also have new hope. They will continue to protect the academy from wind and rain. They look forward to more and more Dongshan students contributing to the new era. They look forward to Dongshan students coming back to see them, and they are happy. Kapok is red, as red as the rising sun.