Jennifer’s Enchanting Rose Garden

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Imagine a garden where roses stretch out before you in a sea as far as the eye can see, carved out from a backdrop of tea fields and bamboo groves, the heavenly, sweet scent of roses enveloping you in a fragrant cloud. Imagine going back to simpler times when you can fall asleep looking up at a sky full of stars and wake up at daybreak to the melodious cacophony of lively roosters. An enchanting place where friendly dogs roam around freely, joined at times by a stoic horse, fluffy llama and a preening white peacock. 

Fortunately, there’s no need to stay in the realm of imagination, the dream has been brought to life at Jennifer Ji’s Seasons Rose Garden in Daixi (埭溪), less than 45 minutes from Hangzhou.

The roses at Four Seasons Rose Garden come from all over the world, over 500 species from Bulgaria, France, England, Japan, etc. Jennifer would collect rose cuttings while on vacation in different lands then bring them home to carefully grow in her garden. Friends would also send her rose cuttings from different countries. Over the next 4 years, Jennifer’s rose garden slowly began to take shape, a labour of love.

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Most of the roses seemed to be vintage varieties which are highly prized for their fragrance. There are fuchsia coloured rosa rugusa shrubs, a crimson coloured Louis XIV specimen, peachy quartered roses and cream coloured shallow cups. I didn’t know the names or histories of all the roses I encountered, but what’s in a name? I can assure you they all smelled as sweet.

Roses were not the first thing on Jennifer’s mind when she was given the opportunity to develop this 500-acre piece of land. She first thought about growing herbs such as lavender, since she had already developed a status as the “Essential Oil Queen of China” with her acquisition of French aromatherapy brand Lampe Berger in 2014.  

Hangzhou residents may also be familiar with J Spa, her elegant beauty spa on Yangongdi next to West Lake which has been bringing a supreme level of relaxation to clients for over 11 years.

Then it was found that herbs did not grow so well on this land but roses thrived. As Jennifer delved further into roses, she discovered an interesting fact - roses originally came from China and they were first cultivated in China 5,000 years ago. It is poetic then that Jennifer has brought roses from around the world back to their origins, to grow here in her garden. Her goal is to create the most comprehensive rose garden in China for future generations to enjoy the beauty of the rose in all their captivating varieties, colours and scents.

The Rose Garden is still taking shape but foremost, it will be a happy, spiritual place where people can come to unplug, spend time in nature with friends and family and let go of stress and anxiety.

“ We work very hard in these modern times, so we must also enjoy and relax to the fullest, by indulging all 5 of our senses. My ultimate ideal treat is to slip into a warm bath scented with roses and essential oils, surrounded by flickering candles with meditative music playing… and also drinking a glass of red wine! Then all the worries of the day would dissolve away!"

“ I wanted that more people can experience that kind of enjoyment and that’s why I created J Spa, a beautiful, calm space where people can go to clear their mind."

“ But you know a spa treatment can be expensive and not everyone can afford that. My next plan is to create mini-spa treatments that everyone can afford, especially today’s students and young workers who are under a lot of stress. I want to let them experience that relaxation and enjoyment too. They greatly need to relieve their pressure and they are the future of China. I want to do something to support them.”

“ I always tell my beauty estheticians to treat every customer with the utmost care and love, like they are a family member. The customer has trusted us with their valuable time and money, they come to us to get relief from their daily stress and we owe it to them to do our best to relieve their pressures and worries. Regardless if they pay thousands of yuan or 99 yuan, we will give them the same level of treatment."

Jennifer’s words were proven true as I went to the mini-spa at Four Seasons Rose Garden to experience their 99RMB, 30-minute rose facial. The esthetician’s delicate, reverential touch and gentle soothing voice are more likely to be found in spa treatments 10 times this price.

Throughout the facial, the esthetician explained the steps that she was doing. First beginning with a ritual to deeply inhale essential oils, followed by cleansing, prepping my skin with pure rose water that protects against free radicals, applying a rose essential oil that quickly penetrates into the skin to repair and revitalize and then massaging my face to drain the lymph nodes of toxins. Next she applied a sheet mask infused with the potency of 52 roses. 

While my face was absorbing the nutrients from the mask, she massaged my neck, shoulders and did that favourite maneuver of mine where she carefully nudged her fingers under my back till they were between my shoulder blades then she lifted up with her fingers and held for a moment, arching my back. Ahhhhh….tensions melting away! I even drifted off into a restful sleep, all the while inhaling the divine fragrance of roses.

After removing the mask, she gently patted the essence into my skin and applied a rose moisturizing cream. The 30 minutes felt more like an hour because of all the intricate steps performed and the level of relaxation reached. My face felt refreshed, hydrated and soft as velvet.

The rose products used in the facial were developed by Jennifer and are all-natural, gentle and non-irritating. I have been dealing with eczema on my face recently, which makes my skin sensitive and prone to allergic reactions, and the products did not cause me any problems. The rose water is even so pure and gentle that you can spray some in your eyes and it won’t hurt.

That rose water was actually developed in co-operation with Paris Hilton and is marketed under her brand as “Paris Hilton Limited Edition Unicorn Mist”. On Paris’ website, it says that ‘this is the exact rose water extract spray that Paris uses to keep her skin glowing and fresh all day long!’

In the coming year, Jennifer plans to open mini-spas around China offering these facials as well. I told her that when the Hangzhou mini-spa opens, I will be the first customer lined up and will get a facial every day!

Besides coming to get a facial, there will be many cool events happening at the rose garden in the future and More Magazine will be sure to tell you the details as soon as we get them. Coming up around May 20 will be a celebration for the International Rose Culture Festival. It’ll be a great time to visit as the roses will still be in bloom. I can’t wait to get back there myself, walk around the roses and be immersed in that lovely, natural perfume.

To get to the Four Seasons Rose Garden, take the high-speed train from Hangzhou East station to Deqing Station, a 13 minute ride, then grab a taxi or arrange a Didi to drive 30 more minutes to the garden.

Photos by Tuchun & Myra

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  Seasons Rose Garden  

 四季玫瑰庄园 

Mo Jia Shan, Daixi Town, Wuxing District, Huzhou

湖州市吴兴区埭溪镇莫家栅

151 6728 6359 

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