Lover’s Slope is located near Cherry Blossom Avenue inside Wuhan University. Every September when a new term starts, the slope is bursting with lycoris radiata, also known as Mañjusaka, a genus in the subfamily of Amaryllidoideae. This flower blooms from late summer to early fall. Its leaves grow only after its blossoms have wilted, so that the leaves and blossoms never catch a glimpse of each other.  

Legends of lycoris radiata abound. A famous one is the legend of two elves: Mañju, who guarded the flower, and Saka, who guarded the leaves. Giving in to curiosity, they defied their fate which was to guard the herb alone, and managed to meet each other. At first sight, they fell in love with each other. God, exasperated by their waywardness, separated the ill-fated couple and laid a curse on them as punishment: the flowers of Mañju shall never meet the leaves of Saka again. They vowed to meet each other after reincarnation as the scent of lycoris radiata could evoke all the memories. However, neither of them could keep their word. Year after year and generation after generation, they were trapped by the curse and could never escape from it.

What lies beneath the lycoris radiata is the notion of undying love. What blankets Lover’s Leap is by no means merely flowers but symbolizes the persistence of original aspirations in the face of constant change. Time passes but a glance lasts forever.

（Rewritten by Zhang Yuting, edited by Zheng Lingling, Shen Yuxi, Hu Sijia &施维娅）