Young Shao-fu, manager of the Center for 34 years, took his degree in agriculture and came to Shangzehou in 1948, in preference to a number of other better-paying opportunities. For three decades he wiped out weeds, paved roads, set up different fields for different plants, dug out irrigation ditches, cultivated flowers, and planted various trees. Working like a pioneer on a home site, he developed a prosperous garden out of weeds and rocks. In recognition of his efforts, the present Governor of Taiwan, Li Teng-hui, then Mayor of Taipei, presented Young with a special medal.
The Center occupies an area of 26 hectares. Up to 1979, the facility was known as the Yangmingshan Unit of the Shihlin Horticultural Experiment Center, and was under the supervision of the Bureau of Agriculture and Horticulture of the Taiwan Provincial Government. Its height - 400 meters above sea level - adds to its suitability for the cultivation of a number of varieties of flowers. Several kinds of catellia orchid are successfully cultivated here. Among these, the Mei Lin orchid is most famous, having won gold medals at several international orchid championships.
Since 1949, the Center has emphasized the cultivation of flowering and other ornamental shrubs. Its research focuses on azaleas and camellias. At present, the Center possesses 1,200 kinds of azaleas and camellias, plus 210 other varieties of ornamental and flowering plants.
The present name and configuration of the Taipei City Flower-Culture Experiment Center formally came into existence in 1980. The Center was transferred from the Taiwan Provincial Bureau of Agriculture and Horticulture to the Department of Parks, Bureau of Construction, of Taipei City in 1963, and the Center was itself recognized in 1979.
Among the numerous departments of the Taipei City Government, the Center is not a prominent organization However, it is well known to people in the horticultural field. Manager Young teaches horticulture courses at several universities. This combination of teaching and practice helped the Center gain basic recognition. Every year it attracts numbers of scholars and other specialists to study the new varieties cultured by the Center and to exchange opinion with its staff.
The mature orchids demand aerated root areas (right); An orchid displays the form and color which have made it king of flowers (left)
Scholars and horticulture specialists abroad have labeled Young Shao-fu "Taiwan's Camellia and Azalea King" in friendly recognition of his three decades of experimentation with the two varieties. Young, shrugging off such titles, indicated that study and improvement of the quality of the flowering plants have been his lifelong interests.
For Young, the most pleasant experience is to introduce native camellias and other ornamental plants to overseas countries.
China is the nation of origin of the camellia. The camellia likes to grow in cool, moist places. Since its capability of survival within those confines is very strong, it can be cultivated everywhere in northern Taiwan, where rainy weather abounds almost year-round on mountainous slopes.
After white camellias were introduced to the West in the 17th Century they soon became a popular shrub in European and American gardens. More recently, a white camellia variety here was inspected by internationally known camellia experts, who travelled from abroad to visit Mr., Young in Yangmingshan. Young's variety name "While Pagoda," later became the universal name for the beautiful plant.
The Center selects plants for pretty foliage as well as blooms
Inspired by Young's dedication to the Center, a number of his earlier students, after studying abroad, returned to Taiwan to join his organization. The Center is presently composed of four research units, dedicated to ornamental shrubs, flowering grasses, plant protection, and promotion of horticultural education. Its major tasks include the testing, research and promotion of ornamental plants in the aspects of physiology, pathology, insect vulnerability, and classification. The Center aims at re producing and cultivating its successful testing results in large quantities, in order to assist in the project of beautifying the Taipei metropolitan area.
The Center's on-going research projects include:
1. Ornamental Shrubs:
- The cross-fertilization of azaleas.
- The control of azalea growth periods.
- The investigation of original species of camellia.
- The collection and cultivation of flowering shrubs.
- To plant shrubs and trees in downtown Taipei and observe their growth.
Propagation benches are the mass production lines of a plant "factory"
2. Flowering Grasses:
- The collection from abroad and cultivation of seeds of flowering grasses which grow in one or two years.
- The collection of plants varieties with pleasing leaves.
-The collection and cultivation of the varieties of chrysanthemum.
- The collection and cultivation of the varieties of orchid.
3. Plant Protection
- The investigation of major insect damage to plantings along the roads of Taipei City.
- The investigation of public threats: (such as pollution) to plantings along city roads.
- The prevention of insect damage to horticultural plants.
A plant in nature… with a very close friend (top); Plants in a controlled environment…Lonesome? (bottom).
4. Promotion of Education:
- The establishment of a horticultural database, the establishment of specimens, and the circulation of books or cultural techniques.
- Seminars and demonstration of research results.
- Promotion of the cultivation of horticultural plants.
- Promotion of plantings in Taipei City by setting up service stations.
Most urban residents here now acknowledge that, though living in a modern city means being able to enjoy its technical advances and prosper from its economic activities, they also face the life threats of noise, air pollution, and psychological stress. Besides, living space is becoming scarcer because of the continuous migration to urban areas. Taipei City is an example: there are now some 2,300,000 people living in an area of only 27,304 hectares. In other words, almost 10 percent of Taiwan's population lives in only 0.8 percent of the island’s land area. This population density is - on the average - five times that of major Western cities. The average area of park per person in Taipei is now only 1.3 square meters, though extensive forested slope lands adjoin the city. Fear of the eventual loss of access to level green area is not without reason.
On the surface, the Taipei City Flower-Culture Experiment Center is largely a research organization. In fact, the people working there are a vigorous constituency advocating further greening of the Taipei metropolitan area.
At present, the Center's research staff is mobilized for mass reproduction of two varieties of Chinese orchids, Pao Sui and Su Shia. In numerous glass bottles, tissue cultures of Pao Sui and Su Shia are burgeoning, and it is estimated that 50,000 plants will be produced in each growth period. In the near future, it is hoped that householders in Taipei City will delight in possession of several Chinese orchids to enjoy indoors, on their apartment balconies, or in the garden. The staff of the Center will consider such greening an enrichment of the quality of life in Taipei, a central factor in all their goals.
Young Shao-fu - A passion for flowers.