Enkianthus quinqueflorus is a species that originated in Hong Kong. As the flowers are usually developed during the Chinese New Year, it is called the Chinese New Year Flower in English. From late January till early March every year, the Chinese New Year Flowers grow in several places like Sai Kung, Sha Tin, Tsuen Wan and Tai Tam. The best place to view the Chinese New Year Flowers is Tai Cham Koi in Sai Kung. You should see the magenta sea there if you are lucky enough. This attracts many Hong Kong people.
In recent years, many videos and blogs have been posted on the internet notifying us of the status of the magenta sea. But this year, fewer related resources could be found. Perhaps it was due to the weather. Perhaps many people tended to travel outside Hong Kong instead. This year we couldn’t visit the magenta sea in Tai Cham Koi. Instead, we went to Violet Hill two weeks ago, one of the most convenient routes to watch the Chinese New Year Flower.
Violet Hill is located in Wong Nai Chung on Hong Kong Island. It belongs to Tai Tam Country Park. There are 3 paths on Violet Hill – Tsz Lo Lan Shan Path, Tai Tam Country Trail and Wilson Trail No. 1. There isn’t any Chinese New Year Flower along Tsz Lo Lan Shan Path. If you go there for the flowers, you will be disappointed. However, you can see a great view of Repulse Bay. The other two paths yield the same result.
We began our journey at Tai Tam Country Trail, the same entrance as Tsz Lo Lan Shan Path. The weather was unstable. It was rainy in the morning. Although it turned cloudy when we began our journey, we could feel the moisture over the trail. This path was easy. We kept a constant pace until we reached the peak of Violet Hill. It was so foggy and windy that we had to zip our jackets. It was like walking under a typhoon signal. By slowing down our pace and walking cautiously, we could still reach the subsidiary peak of Violet Hill. Luckily, the weather became much more stable after we passed there.
In the first two months of 2023, the weather fluctuated a lot. It could reach 10°C, whereas sometimes it raised to 24°C. This was why we couldn’t see as many developed flowers as the previous years. But it was still a great experience as we usually watch the Chinese New Year Flowers on sunny days. Foggy and rainy days allowed us to shoot photos of the Chinese New Year Flowers with raindrops.