Gift of the Unicorn

Here is the story of Florida's citrus wizard, an immigrant boy from China who became a brilliant man and blessed the world with his horticultural gift. In China, the expression "gift of the unicorn" means a blessing from the gods to the most fortunate of parents: an exceptionally bright son. In 1860, a simple farming family was so blessed. The Lues named their baby boy with the sparkling black eyes Gim Gong, which means "double brilliance." When he was only twelve years old, Lue Gim Gong left China to seek his fortune in America. The life of a Chinese immigrant was difficult, but the magical unicorn would soon bless the boy again. He studied English while he worked in a factory, and one of his teachers recognized Lue's unusual brilliance. Lue eventually lived with his teacher's wealthy family, tending their gardens in Massachusetts and their citrus groves in Florida. In the rural central Florida town of DeLand, Lue revealed his extraordinary genius with plants. He developed world-famous species of citrus, including a super-hardy sweet orange and a perfumed grapefruit the size of a socccer ball. He faced illness, lost love, business failure, and heartbreaking prejudice, but Lue's genius continued to flower and bloom.