Story of the camphor tree

I used to love rummaging through my grandmother's wardrobe admiring her collection of cheongsams and embroidered table linens. One enduring memory of those "treasure hunts" was the smell of the mothballs or camphor sachets that filled my nostrils for days on end.

The camphor tree is native to Southeast China and is a symbol of Jiangsu province. In ancient days, parents used to plant a camphor seedling when a baby girl was born into Suzhou families. Since most females weren't allowed to venture out in public, camphor trees in the backyard were the only clue of the number of female offspring in the household.

When a camphor tree started to blossom fully at around 16 years, enterprising matchmakers would knock on the doors of the household to discreetly offer marriage arrangements. Once the wedding was arranged, the parents would have the camphor tree chopped down and fashioned into a trunk for their daughter to store her dowry of silks, jewellery and embroidery.

This scenario may no longer have a place in today's emancipated world, but it still makes a good story - don't you think?