Let’s go! Off to the Celestial Peach Orchard to pick peaches!

Huanxin Celestial

A vivid scene from the TV series Journey to the West once filled my mind—the moment when Sun Wukong was in charge of the Queen Mother's Celestial Peach Garden. The trees were laden with plump, dewy celestial peaches, glowing with a fresh, rosy hue. Several fairies, dressed in colorful, flowing silks, moved gracefully, elegantly detached from the mundane, searching and picking the celestial peaches. Little did I know, we would also have the fortune to experience such a delightful event ourselves, enjoying the pure joy of picking peaches. The Youth Homeland's back mountain boasts around 5,000 peach trees, 1,200 pear trees, 300 plum trees, and 50 loquat trees. The majority are peach trees, making it a true earthly paradise. The juicy peaches with rosy cheeks are the Baihua peaches, while the greenish, pointed ones are fragrant peaches, known for their crispy and sweet flavor. The joyful Celestials, carrying small baskets, eagerly search for the biggest, most enticing ripe peaches to pluck. After carefully selecting the best, our sales director, Dizu, along with other brothers and sisters, takes them to the market to sell.

In addition to fruit picking, we have Celestials who grow vegetables and flowers, clean the premises, feed the animals, do laundry, cut hair, clean rooms, pull weeds, cook in the kitchen, provide dining services, handle repairs, and carry out building renovations. Everyone works together, fulfilling their duties and serving one another in harmony. Sometimes we engage in collective labor, helping wherever it's needed. These seemingly ordinary labor scenes, once experienced firsthand, reveal the endless joy that collective life in the Second Home can bring. Communal living is a paradise for those without selfishness and ego, and it is the best place for spiritual cultivation and practice.

Now, enjoy some photos of our brothers and sisters in their daily labor! 2023-6