"restorative teas and soups" and "dried chrysanthemums, snow fungus, black moss, and Angelica root that bloomed to life again in her teas and soups." This shows how the power of nature can be used to heal, in how the many leaves, shoots and roots each have different properties that can be used to treat different ailments --- Kai Ying's profession as an herbalist is based on this fact. The phrase "bloomed to life" highlights this best, vividly describing how dried herbs rehydrate and expand in water and how their restorative properties cause them to "bloom" again, transferring some of their healing into the water to be used as tea or soup. Thus Sukiyama sows the idea that nature is healing throughout this novel, a context essential to understanding other parts of the book.

"the irony never failed to miss her" as Kai Ying used the Kapok Tree's roots and bark to make an ointment for Tao. This also shows nature's healing power, as though Tao was hurt by the Kapok Tree, the Kapok Tree aids his recovery. This also shows the impartial, if not forgiving, quality that the natural world takes on in Sukiyama's writing, where characters revolt against forces greater than them, and while they usually do not succeed, they grow stronger.

The healing power of nature is important when considering the contrast Sukiyama wishes to achieve when she brings up Zhaoqing in comparison to Guangzhou in the novel. Guangzhou is a lively city, "more people walking down the streets,, clutching their bags and possessions as bicyclists skillfully weaved in and out", and while it is not as natural as Zhaoqing, "across a beautiful lake, surrounded by mountain craigs and trees", "Guangzhou was all cold and hard edges", Sukiyama does not portray it as a bad place to live. Thus, the contrast between them and its effect is more nuanced that simply a breathtaking countryside compared to a smog filled and choking city. The contrast between Zhaoqing and Guangzhou in A Hundred Flowers serves as a thematic and emotional counterpoint, deepening the novel’s exploration of healing, resilience, and the human spirit amid political oppression. Tsukiyama uses these settings not as simple opposites but as complementary forces that shape the characters’ recovery.

Guangzhou’s bustling streets ("skillful bicyclists," crowded markets) represent enduring human vitality despite Maoist surveillance. Yet its "cold, hard edges" (gray buildings, oppressive heat) reflect the state’s control. The city’s duality shows life persisting amid oppression. Zhaoqing’s mountains, lakes, and forests symbolize a retreat from trauma. Kai Ying seeks shelter there mentally after Tao's fall and thinks to its open lakes and fields when she feels stressed in the story. Zhaoqing, however, is only ever shown in memories and in snippets. This suggests that the memories and flashbacks of Zhaoqing are likely romanticised and thus is "warm with soft edges" as so many nostalgic memories are.

In this way, the city of Zhaoqing represents the healing power of nature while Guangzhou relates to the enduring and permanence of nature. They are reflections of each other and reveal insights into the lives and beliefs of the characters associated with them.