The bittersweet historical roots of the wintersweet tree

Stashed away in a quiet corner of Nanqiao town in Shanghai's Fengxian district, in an enclosed yard between a six-story apartment building and a sauce factory, a wintersweet shrub breaks up the monotony of the dreary gray of winter with its vivid yellow flowers.

To the unaware, this might come across as a random sprouting of the deciduous plant in an utterly nondescript space.

In truth, this wintersweet shrub has borne witness to many struggles and sacrifices of multiple generations of the Cao family.

First grown by the late Cao Zongnai 160 years ago, the plant is considered a family heirloom that has been hailed as the "No 1 Wintersweet of the Yangtze Delta".

"When my ill father was in hospital, he used to ask me several times a day if I had watered the wintersweet," says 70-year-old Cao Guoyong, the fourth-generation descendant of Cao Zongnai.

The plant did not always look the way it does today. Up until a few years ago, it boasted a beautiful trunk that made it stand out in the landscape. But the ever-expanding blight of urbanization eventually took its toll. Deprived of sufficient nutrition by the buildings that had sprouted up around it, the wintersweet's trunk collapsed, leaving its basal stems to fend for themselves.

The authorities, however, have every intention to restore the plant to its former glory. Gu Guolin, a representative with the landscaping and city appearance administration in the district, says that plans are in place to expand the green space around its historical plants in Fengxian. This would involve removing parts of the sauce factory so that the plant would have greater access to sunlight and soil.

"This wintersweet plant, together with a centennial peony, an ancient ginkgo and Chinese scholar tree, are part of our local cultural heritage, and important assets in our landscaping planning," Gu says.

The Caos were said to be a wealthy family that owned half of Nanqiao town. Historical documents which show members of the family draining local waterways, building an orphanage and opening educational facilities lend credence to this. The family also owns an impressive collection of works, such as paintings, calligraphy pieces and ceramics by renowned artists of the 1800s.

Much of this fortune, however, was lost over the past century. Cao Guoyong's father, Cao Zhigao (1922-2008), for example, had to work as an apprentice in a clothing shop after he completed his primary school. In 1949, he started working in a State-owned department store.

Cao Guoyong remembers her father as a relentless protector of the wintersweet. She says that when the family faced a termite problem, her father was more concerned about the ramifications this infestation would have on the plant, rather than on the expensive antique furniture and the home's structural integrity.

The man even went to the extent of consulting scientists from the Shanghai Botanic Garden about how he could protect the wintersweet tree from the pests.

In 1996, when Nanqiao town underwent a massive redevelopment project and the Cao family home was slated to be torn down to make way for a new residential community, Cao Zhigao went about seeking help from multiple parties, including the authorities, to preserve the plant.

His tenacity paid off when the real estate developer agreed to a deal－one that left the Caos at a financial disadvantage.

"They agreed to cut off a row from the apartment blueprint just to save the wintersweet tree. What this meant was that we received two new apartments less than planned in the exchange for our family home," Cao Guoyong recalls.

"But my father had no qualms about it," says Cao Guoyong's younger brother, Cao Guojie.

"We would rather give up two new apartments than lose that tree. The wintersweet was passed down from our ancestors. It goes without saying that we have to take good care of it."

Standing in the drizzle, Cao Guoyong brought a branch to her face and took a whiff.

"My father cared about the tree more than anything in this world," she says.