In China, flowers have an interesting role.
According to Confucian belief, and in Chinese art, there are four Gentleman/ Sì Jūnzǐ/ Four noble flowers. Chrysanthemum, bamboo, orchid and plum blossom
There are four flowers for the four seasons. Chrysanthemum, lotus, orchid and plum blossoms.
Flowers appear in their art, their cloths, their writing.
And their history.
An old flower, the chrysanthemum has, as far as anyone knowns, been cultivated for 3000 years. Known originally as chu/ jú/菊 (there’s an ancient city named after the flower actually, Chu-Hsein/Ju-Xian), the flower was a medicinal herb, it roots were believed to effective in treating headaches, its petals and its shoots were used in salads, and its leaves, and petals were also used in teas as well.
And then between the 6th and the 8th centuries, the chrysanthemums were introduced to Japan. They were a hit. Japan was entranced by the golden-yellow flower, the Emperor, especially, was quite fond of the flower, adopting it as his crest and seal, and it remains the crest and seal of all Japan’s emperors to this day. In addition, one of the highest Orders of Chivalry one can receive in Japan is the Imperial Order of the Chrysanthemum. Plus, Japan has an annual festival devoted to chrysanthemums too.
And in Korea, the chrysanthemum is used to flavour rice wine.
In the modern world, the chrysanthemum owes its name to Greece by way of Sweden. Karl Linnaeus, a 17th century Swedish botanist named it after the Greek words of chrysos (gold) and anthemon (flower) a name conceived of for the flower’s rich yellow hue (so not a very creative name really).
A noble flower in Japan and a symbol of life and rebirth in China. Yet in France, the chrysanthemum is a symbol of death.
The chrysanthemum, according to the four flowers of the four seasons represents Autumn/Fall.
The lotus, meanwhile, represents Summer.
If the chrysanthemum is an old flower, then the lotus is an ancient one, with a history tracing back to Egypt, India, and China. It is in all of these countries, a sacred flower, associated with gods and with creation. It represented rebirth in Egypt, and it was also regarded as a symbol of the sun, whilst in Buddhism it is flower representative of enlightenment and purity.
The reason for associating the flower with rebirth and with the sun, lies in the lotus’ tendency to close its petals when the sun sets and submerge itself beneath the water and mud from which it sprouts. Upon the sunrise, the lotus emerges once again above the water, unmarked by its night amongst the muck. Because of this, the lotus, or 蓮花/lián huā/荷花/hé huā in Chinese, is the gentleman flower (not to be confused with Sì Jūnzǐ).
The lotus is also a source of food, the roots to the seeds to the fruit, all can be eaten, and all are eaten, in soups, as snacks and in a number of varying dishes.
The peony also, has quite a history in China, and is just as old as the chrysanthemum in terms of cultivation.
Slow to bloom and brief to flower, the peony is regarded as a royal plant, owing to one tale told relating the blossom to an Empress. The tale claims that once upon a time, an empress sat in the imperial gardens to have a cup of tea one chilly winter morn, however, she found herself depressed by the lack of flowers to accompany her that morning and so she called upon the flower deity (or in some versions, her own magic) in order to make all the plants flower, and the deity- surprisingly- complied (or her magic worked), the garden was soon filled with the colours and scents of thousand of spring flowers sprouting and unfurling their petals much earlier than they normally would. All save the peony which stubbornly refused to be controlled by goddess (or empress). And so it came to be known as the Queen Of Flowers.
It’s not just in China that the peony has its myths, in fact, in Greece it is believed to tied to a number of their gods as well. One story tells that the peony earned its name from an encounter with the god of medicine’s, Asklepius’, student, Paeon, and the god of the underworld, Hades. Wounded in a battle against Herakles, Hades retreated to Olympus for treatment, but he failed to find Asklepius, and so he turned to the healer’s apprentice, Paeon, who used a beautiful flower to heal the wound. Asklepius was embarrassed to be upstaged by his student, and so he murdered the poor kid in retaliation. When Zeus discovered the body, he rewarded the deceased demi-deity by turning him into the vary flower he had used to treat the King of gods’ brother, the one that caused his murder. From hence forth, the flower has been named after Paeon.
The peony is a medicinal plant (as demonstrated by the unfortunate Paeon), it has long been used in the treatment of ailments, with modern Homeopathic remedies utilising the roots, the seeds, the petals, the leaves. The peony has sedative effects, and as such it can be used to treat anxiety, migraines, neuralgia, and it has even been used to treat spasm and epilepsy.
Its also a lovely addition to tea, and deserts in China.
The peony is not the only example, though, of plants shared by both Greece and China, in fact, the Daffodil is also quite popular in the eastern country. It is not, however, indigenous, unlike the first three flowers mentioned on this list. The daffodil, despite its transcontinental nature, is in fact a good luck charm in China, if one sees one in bloom around Chinese New Year, then it means that they will likely gain wealth in the year to come.
Like the daffodil, the sunflower has an auspicious association in China, it represents longevity and luck as well as long lasting happiness. But it also has ties in the People’s Republic of China, namely the revolution that put Mao Zedong and Communist Party in power. During this time, Mao would often have propaganda posters produced portraying himself as the sun whilst the people were shown as sunflowers turned towards him.
In addition, though, sunflowers have ties to community and social interaction, with the seeds often being used as snacks to be shared amongst friends and neighbours
Whilst the daffodil and the sunflower both have a positive image in China, not all foreign flowers were all that good, or have all those good relations to the country.
The poppy, for instance, has had an unfortunate role in the history of China.
During the 19th century, China held many goods desired by England. Silk, tea, and porcelain, to be more exact. One problem though. The Chinese wouldn’t trade with them. This was partially because of events much early on when England first attempted to open trade between the countries. The British wound up insulting the Chinese by refusing to kow-tow to the emperor when he granted them an audience, an act that was deemed arrogant and hostile by the Chinese. The other reason
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