TLC and TCM help 'hanging garden' grow

Zhang Guichun waters plants in his roof garden, which has become a must-see destination for green life followers. Photos By Wang Jing / China Daily

In an area full of shabby bungalows north of the Temple of Heaven in southern Beijing, a garden is perched on the roof of a traditional courtyard home. Visitors who step up onto the roof are welcomed by bird chirps and green vines under the blue sky. In the center of the balcony, red fishes are swimming leisurely in an ancient-style pond. Tomatoes on the vine are so plump and fresh that they look like red lanterns.

This is the "hanging garden" of Zhang Guichun, a 54-year-old Beijinger who has astonished local authorities with his low-carbon masterpiece.

"There are another 20 to 30 people who have planted on the roof or balcony of their houses according to local media's reports, but I believe none of them can compete with me in terms of the quality of produce," said Zhang.

The gradute from a Beijing-based Chinese medicine vocational school started building his "hanging garden" four years ago, when he knew little about gardening.

Fishes swim leisurely in an ancient-style pond.

"Summers are getting hotter and hotter in Beijing and growing plants on the roof may help reduce the temperature by 3 to 5 degrees, so I had the idea of setting up a garden on top of my home," Zhang said.

"Besides, I thought it might be a good idea to plant something on the balcony. It would make it a perfect place to relax on hot summer nights."

Zhang quickly made his dream a reality. He knocked down the two small rooms that had been up on the roof and turned the area into a garden where he cultivates vegetables and fruit.

The result were much better than he expected. Thanks to his hard work, the balcony has now grown into a beautiful garden, and is home to more than 30 kinds of vegetables and fruit, including tomato, cucumber, sweet pepper, yilisha melon and watermelon, to name just a few.

And he says his house is now cooler and no longer plagued with mosquitoes.

"Thanks to the tomatoes, which are used in many mosquito repellant sprays, I can now chat with friends or play poker in the garden at night without worrying about mosquitoes," Zhang said.

Meanwhile, he has fully embraced the "organic life" shying away from chemical fertilizers and instead giving his plants home-mixed natural nutrition based on his knowledge of Chinese medicine.

Zhang said organic agriculture prohibits the use of artificial fertilizers, hormones, GMO (genetically modified organisms), pesticides, antibiotics, herbicides and preservatives.

"When you turn to organic foods, you are making a healthy choice for you and for the environment," he said. "And products grown from organic fertilizers have much more natural flavor," Zhang said.

When asked to divulge the ingredients of his organic fertilizers, Zhang smiled coyly and said, "it's a secret!"

However, he was happy to share many of the fruits of his labors with METRO.

The smell of tomato's leaves and branches can be used as a natural mosquito repellent.

"This one tastes really good!" Zhang said, putting his hands on a huge yilisha melon. "I often use it as stuffing when making dumplings. I have given them to my neighbors and they love them too."

Zhang said greening up your roof space is not a new idea, but planting vegetables and fruit up there has not been widely pursued because it takes more skill and energy.

"In this aspect, I consider myself a fashionable person. I'm leading the tide," Zhang said with pride.

Several days ago, officials at the Beijing Roof Greening Association came over to Zhang's garden to take a look.

Tan Tianying, the chairman, praised him for setting a creative example for the city's green project.

"I thought they would give me a prize," Zhang joked.

Pointing to the gray roofs around, Zhang said, "I hope more people will think about planting in their homes to make Beijing more beautiful. If it comes true, Beijing will no longer be a gray city when seen from the satellite."

Zhang is now something of a celebrity in his community. Neighbors enjoy dropping by for a relaxed chat or just to see how well the lovely vegetables and fruit are doing. And Zhang is now thinking of doubling the size of his organic garden by expanding eastward to cover the whole roof.

"Hopefully, by the same time next year, the second phase of my organic planting project will have been completed and I will have a larger space to accommodate more fruit and, of course, more visitors," Zhang said with a smile.

China Daily

Zhang's garden attracts lots of visitors.

Watermelon is one of Zhang's favorite fruits.

(China Daily 07/21/2010)