Hangzhou's Free Wilderness: Foraging for Wild Strawberries and Spring Bamboo Shoots

On May Day, the journey to Qingshan Lake was congested.

Consequently, I deliberately avoided the forest park,

opting instead for the national highway, which led to the Qingshan Lake Bridge,

where the crowds thinned, and the area became one of rustic simplicity.

Here, the hills are blanketed with bamboo groves.

.

It is currently the season for both bamboo shoot excavation and strawberry foraging 🍓.

This was more of a chance encounter,

but an obliging old woman permitted us to dig up the shoots in front of her home,

remarking that she herself was unable to consume them all.

.

Venturing further inland (the more remote, the better),

we discovered wild strawberries, which were in fact raspberries,

as well as a solitary raspberry bush, bearing a modest quantity of red berries, not nearly enough to fill a bowl.

Nevertheless, our desire was sated, and we felt fulfilled.