Last May a minor news item made the local papers: A Taiwan aborigine who didn't know what orchids were was said to have collected a big sackful of them from the mountains near Taitung to feed his pigs with.
Ignoring the question of whether or not the pigs enjoyed their meal, orchid fanciers were immediately enticed by the words "big sackful," and longed to take off for the mountains in search of exotic species.
The enthusiastic response stemmed from a saddening fact--wild orchids are becoming fewer and fewer.
"There are no 'big hauls' any more," sighs Chen Mao-lin, who has gathered orchids for over 30 years.
Last April Chen and five Punun aborigines searched for orchids in the Central Mountain Range for ten days. Not only did they fail to come up with a single precious species, they even had a hard time finding any run-of-the-mill varieties. Recalling 20 years ago, Chen said that one could gather a bagful of orchids in the mountains around Peinan wherever one went. "If you weren't careful, you'd trample a bunch of them to death," he said, raising a foot in illustration.
With orchids in the mountains so scarce, orchid lovers down below have been outdoing themselves to buy prized specimens, and stories of fantastic bids abound.
When word got around four years ago that an orchid worth NT$10 million (about US$250,000) had been grown in the quiet little town of Puli, many people took out their life savings to build hothouses in the hopes of raising such a formidable flower themselves.
One orchid lover was said to have trekked to Puli shouldering a bag containing NT$12 million, only to have the deal fall through when the owner insisted on NT$13 million.
Regardless of the truth of that particular story, sales of orchids for several hundred thousand New Taiwan dollars are not unheard of nor exceptionally extraordinary. An uninitiate who came to see one of these pricey orchids might be greatly disappointed, however--practically none of them have blossoms.
The fact is that blossoms in Chinese Orchids have long ceased to be prized by connoisseurs.
Chinese Orchids have slender, elegant, sword-shaped leaves that are quite lovely to look at in themselves, but rather small blossoms, which are mostly white, peach, or pale green in color. Foreign orchids generally have broader, thicker leaves, with gorgeously colored blossoms, for which they are renowned.
Historically, Chinese Orchids were also appreciated for their blossoms and scent. But orchid fanciers, during the long periods when the flowers were not in bloom, gradually turned their attention to the leaves as well. And the value of Chinese Orchids also received an unexpected boost from a foreign source.
Two hundred years ago, the Japanese began prizing the vein patterns in orchid leaves, something in which Chinese Orchids excel. Particularly treasured are "golden threads," especially those running around the edge of the leaf, a gene mutation that may occur in just one orchid in 10,000.
The craze for "golden threads" soon spread from Japan to Taiwan, not because the Chinese on Taiwan at the time could afford it but because Taiwan was known as an "orchid treasure-house." The orchid industry on Taiwan was directed chiefly at exports to Japan right through the 1960s.
It was only in the early 1970s that their newfound prosperity enabled Chinese on Taiwan to take up the hobby themselves. According to rough estimates of the ROC Chinese Orchid Association, the annual trade in Chinese Orchids on Taiwan over the past ten years has averaged NT$500 million, and about 30,000 people have invested NT$200,000 or more each in the business.
"Raising a rare orchid is like taking care of a 'living antique,'" says Lin Ch'ing-t'ien, who has raised the flowers for over 20 years. He got started with ten Suhsin Orchids that he bought for NT$50 and now has over 2,000 pots of orchids, some worth several million NT dollars each. Not yet 30 years old, Lin jokes that he hasn't been able to "afford" to marry yet, since all his capital has gone into raising flowers.
What are the secrets to the orchid business? Lin Hung-chou, a plastics businessman who has invested several million NT dollars in orchid-raising, urges those interested in taking up the hobby: "The most important thing is to find a reliable dealer, so you won't get burned." And Peng Shuang-sung, author of the prize-winning book The Orchids of Taiwan, points out that it's best to get started with established varieties; it's easy to miscalculate and lose a bundle on novelty breeds.
If you buy an established, "pedigreed" variety, as long as the leaves are rather broad, the veins clear, and the roots sturdy, nine times out of ten you won't have gone wrong. And if you happen to enjoy blossoms and scent, it's best to have a look at the mother flower before making a decision. Otherwise you may wind up buying a "mute" that never blooms.
Raising an orchid is like falling in love: if you've never done it, that's fine; but once you do, it's addicting. And the more aloof your object, the harder you strive to obtain it, and the greater your sense of achievement or loss. Once you've won your prize, taking care of it is rather fatiguing as well.
Generally speaking, the more exotic varieties an orchid raiser keeps, the more astonishing the amount of equipment required: since the orchids can't be too cold, too hot, too moist, too dry, too shady, or too sunlit, a full panoply of air conditioners, sunlamps, thermostats, mist sprayers, and whatnot is called for. Hsu Chien, a specialist in developing new breeds, often tells friends that raising his four children was easier.
Why are Chinese Orchids so difficult to raise?
"They've got acclimatization problems," explains Huang Min-chan, a horticulturalist at National Chung Hsing University. Chinese Orchids, which are temperate zone plants, normally grow in Taiwan only on mountains above 500 meters high. So when they're moved down to the semitropical clime of the lowlands, they require a lot of care.
Nevertheless, as horticultural technology advances, the propagation of new breeds becomes ever more rapid. The Junyu Orchid, three of which sold for NT$200,000 51 years ago, now goes for just NT$400 or NT$500 apiece. "Maybe someday prize orchids will cost as little as celery," one hopeful fancier has predicted.
If Chinese Orchids can ever be propagated in mass quantities, it will certainly be a great help to our export market. But will people still treasure them when they cost the same as celery?
[Picture Caption]
This bowl of orchids, called Wenshan Chialung, is said to be worth around NT$4 million. (photo by Chung Yung-ho)
Among the nearly 1,000 pots of orchids in this room, how many have "golden threads"?
Paosui Orchids (paosui means "announcing the year") blossom around Chinese New Year's and have a lovely scent. (photo by Vincent Chang)
The gleaming golden threads on the leaves of this Paosui Orchid make it a prized breed.
Orchids with hats? Not really. These orchids have been sprinkled with growth hormones, which have enabled them to propagate five generations so far.
As you can see from the facilities, rare orchids aren't simple to care for.
The red leaves of the maple are even more striking against the blue of the sky.
Although they are but a few, the brilliance of their red makes these a rare find indeed.
The blue waters of Green Lake and the azure of the sky seem to reflect each other.
The dinner bell at Taipower, used to call the workers in from the forest.
The interior of the Taipower dormitory retains the woodsy atmosphere of the forest outside.
