Why is the most famous flower in China plum blossom?

Plum blossom is the backbone of China literati!

Inheriting Plum Blossom Spirit and Promoting Taihu Culture

Meihua has never left the spiritual world of China literati since it entered the spiritual world of China literati. It has always been our close friend ... Yesterday afternoon, this newspaper joined hands with Wang Luxiang, the host of Phoenix Satellite TV, to talk with Ma Yazhong, a famous scholar of Suzhou University, professors of Central Academy of Fine Arts, Zhang Lichen and Chen Ping, doctoral supervisors, and Sheng Xiaoyun, a famous pingtan actor, to interpret the plum culture in Taihu Lake from different perspectives.

Suzhou enjoys plum for a long time, but when did plum trees and plums, as ornamental plants, enter the spiritual life of China people? Many scholars believe that the two Song Wenhua have shaped the character and lifestyle of China people. Can this view be confirmed from the plum appreciation culture? Plum viewing activities can be divided into two forms: mass and minority. When did Suzhou people's folk custom of appreciating plums come into being? Why do Suzhou people love Mei so much? The minority, that is, the literati's appreciation of plum is very particular, sometimes ritualized, and there are many requirements for the environment and heaven and earth conditions of plum appreciation. Visiting Mei, visiting Xun Mei, visiting Mei, folding Mei, inserting Mei, smelling Mei, tasting Mei ... From plum flower arrangement in a bottle to making a pot of plum tea, the famous cultural figure "On Plum Blossom in Taihu Lake" started with the image of "Plum Blossom Art" and was applauded constantly. Cultural celebrities sometimes quote classics, sometimes quips, and share their unique appreciation of plum blossoms with the audience. The scenes are sometimes relaxed and enjoyable, and sometimes thought-provoking. Declare the annual plum viewing activity as intangible cultural heritage; Imitating the "ritualization" of the ancient plum appreciation process, the "plum road" with local characteristics was introduced, which attracted applause from the audience.

Wang Luxiang studied in the Chinese Department of Xiangtan University and majored in the history of Chinese aesthetics in the Philosophy Department of Peking University. He once taught in Capital Normal University, was employed as a professor and doctoral supervisor of Tsinghua University Academy of Fine Arts, and joined Hong Kong Phoenix Satellite TV as a senior planner, host and commentator on 200 1. His works have won the "Huabiao Award", "Starlight Award" and "Five One Project Awards" for many times. Mr. Zhang Lichen, the guest who planned and presided over Phoenix Satellite TV's "Searching", is a professor, doctoral supervisor and librarian of central research institute of culture and history. Chen Ping, Professor, Doctoral Supervisor and Vice President of Chinese Painting College of Central Academy of Fine Arts. For more than ten years, Zhang Lichen and Chen Ping have traveled all over the country's famous plum-viewing resorts, asking Mei that painting Mei is "crazy". Sheng Xiaoyun, vice chairman of Chinese Quyi Artists Association, is a famous pingtan actor. Ma Yazhong, a professor and doctoral supervisor at the School of Literature of Suzhou University, is the chief academic leader of provincial-level important disciplines of ancient literature. The famous cultural experts' exposition of plum in Taihu Lake, starting from some characteristics of plum's botany, gradually discusses why China people regard plum as a friend and a gentleman, and finally becomes the love of our China literati, making it the love of ordinary people in Suzhou and China, forming a unique plum culture in China. "On Mei" launches on these issues one by one.

Plum blossom insert and plum blossom tea bubble all have Tao.

There must be a choice in flower arrangement. This is usually possible, but some need to be deleted. What should we do? Leave what? This is the aesthetic level.

Wang Luxiang: This year's 15th Taihu Plum Blossom Festival is different from the past, with the addition of such a forum as "Cultural celebrities talk about plum blossoms in Taihu Lake". When I arrived in Suzhou yesterday, I saw a big advertisement on the front page of Gusu Evening News. The advertisement is very well written. I'll borrow it here as the opening words of plum in Taihu Lake: A plum inadvertently landed on the forehead of Princess Shouyang of His Royal Highness Zhang thousands of years ago, leaving five petals of flower marks, which made the plum makeup amazing. There is a plum tree in the lonely mountain of West Lake. Let Lin Hejing take plums as his wife and cranes as his son, and he will not enter this world for twenty years. There is a plum blossom planted by Wang Mian. He built a "plum blossom house" to get along with thousands of plum blossoms in Qian Qian.

This slowly tells the story of plum blossom. Today you can see red, white and plum blossoms inserted in our desk, a plain white porcelain vase. There is a kind of plum bottle in the middle of our porcelain, but the mouth is very small, so it is called plum bottle. Then plum blossom planting itself is also an important part of plum blossom culture. Plum blossom flower arrangement has a lot of artistic stress. Today, there are two contemporary plum blossom painters here. Please ask Professor Zhang Lichen and Professor Chen Ping to comment and see what it feels like to insert plum blossoms after you.

Chen Ping: Because we all like half flowers and half buds when appreciating plums, we often like natural plums when appreciating plums.

Wang Luxiang: In the past, when we played with plums, we all experienced a natural form of natural growth. However, some scholars like to carry out drastic modeling transformation of plum blossom, making it a part of Chinese gardening art. Professor Zhang, what do you think of this part?

It should be said that each has its own characteristics, but it is mainly what Professor Chen said, focusing on nature, because between culture and nature, there is a kind of harmony between man and nature. In addition, the processing should not be excessive. I'm still against technical things. Know how to combine with nature when processing. Now insert plum blossoms and pick two branches at will, but when inserting them, you should have a primary and secondary position, like a dancer, and you should have a posture. Actually, it has its own style In addition, the combination of rigidity and softness of buds and branches has charm and rhythm. If there are more than two branches, there must be primary and secondary, and there must be changes in posture. In this case, these factors should be taken into account when inserting, and there will be aesthetic content when inserting, rather than inserting a few branches casually.

Wang Luxiang: Pruning is an elegant artistic sentiment. Professor Zhang believes that proper artistic treatment is possible, but there must be a bottom line and you can't become a "sick" plum. For example, in the choice of flowers, Professor Chen advocates half buds and half flowers. The plums around me are very good, with half-open flowers and large and small flower bones.

Zhang Lichen: There are trade-offs. This is usually possible, but some need to be deleted. What? Leave what? This is the aesthetic level.

Chen Ping: Plum blossoms are like ink paintings. Painting pursues nature. In fact, gardens also pursue nature. Just mentioned that plums have a natural side, but they will also be moved to the hall. Moving into the hall, the processed plum blossoms also pursue nature, with branches like scorpions.

Wang Luxiang: Thank you, professors! Have you noticed that our four guests today and I, the host, look like a plum blossom? The four of us are branches of Mei. There is only one plum blossom on it, and the position is just right. On the golden section of branches, this plum blossom is our famous Suzhou Pingtan actress Ms. Sheng Xiaoyun. Today, in addition to discussing plums with us, Ms. Sheng Xiaoyun has to finish a task first, and make plum tea for everyone with a plum blossom. Now we all have tea cups around us. We asked Ms. Sheng to put plum blossoms in some men's cups. (Plum blossom tea made in Sheng Xiaoyun)

Wang Luxiang: Actually, just now we have included several links in the process of appreciating plums by the ancients. First of all, our plum blossoms and branches can arrive at the scene. Someone must have visited Mei, looked for Mei and explored Mei. Then go to Meilin to fold plums, bring plum branches to the scene, and then two famous painters insert plums; After inserting plum blossoms, Ms. Sheng, a famous pingtan actress, made us plum blossom tea. Then we sniffed how rich such a link was. It was in such a rich link that our ancients cultivated their cultural and aesthetic hearts.

It is inextricably linked with the lives of ordinary people.

Many poems describing plum blossoms do not use strong and spectacular pen and ink, but often depict relatively lonely beauty, which ancient scholars appreciate.

Wang Luxiang: When Ms. Sheng spoke just now, I heard the sound of nature. Excuse me, miss sheng, is there any theme about our pingtan?

Sheng Xiaoyun: Of course, Pingtan is a native product of Suzhou culture. There are too many things related to plum blossoms in Pingtan. We have the classic novel San Xiao, and Mei Ting's Tang Bohu and Chou-heung get married.

Sheng Xiaoyun: The story tells that Tang Bohu chased Chou-heung to Wuxi. However, it is definitely not easy for him to meet Chou-heung. Chou-heung followed the old lady into the middle door. Tang Bohu waited on two young masters, who told Tang Bohu to break some plum branches in the garden. When he entered the garden, he happened to see a scene, that is, picking the autumn fragrance of plum beside Mei Ting. A plum blossom on the rockery is particularly beautiful. Chou-heung climbed to the rockery to pick it. After taking it off, she suddenly felt how she climbed so high, and then panicked. Just as Tang Bohu appeared, he reached out to pick her up. Of course, Chou-heung didn't dare to touch him at first, but he stood too high to answer it. This book is a classic selection of our Suzhou Pingtan.

Sheng Xiaoyun: Of course, there is also the very famous Chairman Mao's poem Yongmei.

Wang Luxiang: Please tell Professor Ma Yazhong that plum blossom is a plant first. There are too many woody plants in full bloom in China, so what are the remarkable botanical characteristics of plum blossom that our later intellectuals sublimate it spiritually?

Ma Yazhong: We appreciate this kind of plum. It is not an ordinary ornamental form. First, plum blossoms bud in winter and bloom first in spring; Second, the plum blossom color is light; The fragrance of plum blossoms is not strong, which is what we often call faint fragrance. Moreover, the shape of plum blossom is relatively small, and it is not so eye-catching from the morphological point of view. Therefore, to appreciate plum, I think the main thing is to appreciate its spirit, which is related to its biological characteristics. Many poems describing plum blossoms do not use strong and spectacular pen and ink, but often depict relatively lonely beauty, which ancient scholars appreciate.

Wang Luxiang: Just now Professor Ma talked about several characteristics of plum blossom, which seems to be inconsistent with the common sense of nature. Because common sense tells us that it is often after the spring breeze begins, when everything wakes up, the temperature rises and flowers bloom. But in the cold winter and extreme climate, we will also see a kind of flower, which will bloom proudly and alone. Of course, this feature can easily make some people think about how people can live a wonderful life under some extremely difficult and difficult circumstances. Plum blossoms set a good example for us.

Wang Luxiang: Besides this, there is another one. Our agricultural civilization in China is the most developed in the world, and our country has a large latitude span, so we not only have four distinct seasons, but also have 24 solar terms in the middle. In order to match the solar terms, we found 24 kinds of flowers in nature, the first of which is plum blossom. Plum blossom is the leader, that is, monopolize the spring of the world, or take the spring of the world first. I don't know if it is because of this. Later, many literati praised plum blossom.

Ma Yazhong: I think that's for sure. Plum blossoms are "the joy of future generations". When a hundred flowers blossom, it is not proud of its achievements, but enjoys happiness with all the flowers. In this way, besides arrogance, plum blossom also has a humble side. "She was laughing in the bushes when the mountain flowers were in full bloom." Mao Zedong revealed this.

Wang Luxiang: But does Mei have a sour side?

Ma Yazhong: (Laughter) Ancient literati were easily sour. On the positive side, it is noble, but after deliberately sublime, it has a sour taste. I think narcissism in modern society is not good. We should keep pace with the times, communicate more with the society, especially young people nowadays, and don't learn from the withdrawn characteristics of plum blossoms.

Wang Luxiang: In the past, after the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, especially after the Wei and Jin Dynasties, the "scholar" class gradually lost its rank and cold intellectuals appeared. I think the literati's appreciation of plum blossoms is actually the Han literati's appreciation of plum blossoms.

We talked about sour plums, because when they fall, they will bear a fruit, and that fruit is plums. The characteristics of this plum can be summarized by one word "sour" and two words "very sour". Due to the characteristics of acid, plum blossom has become the earliest cash crop in China. Because salt and acid can bring out all kinds of suitable flavors, they are widely planted by farmers in Wuzhong area, thus becoming important cash crops. "Plum sour" is not an outdated thing, and it still occupies a place in the daily life of Suzhou people today. Ms Sheng Xiaoyun is from Suzhou. Please tell us how Suzhou people eat sour food.

Sheng Xiaoyun: I remember when I was a child, I liked to eat green plums, which were sour and sweet. The sour plum soup I ate in summer was made of sour plum soup. There is also plum blossom cake, a delicate snack, which is probably a specialty of Suzhou. We often use a folding fan as a prop on the storytelling table, and some fans have plum-blossom heads. As for painters, they often write and draw some plum blossoms and branches on the fan.

In Suzhou people's life, there are quite a few things related to plum blossoms. The pingtan mentioned just now, except for Kunqu opera, which is well known to all. The Peony Pavilion is very popular now, and plum blossom plays a very important role in the play. Because the hero's name is Liu Mengmei, but his real name is not Liu Mengmei, but Liu Chunqing. He had a dream that a beautiful woman was standing under a plum tree and said that she was married, so he renamed her "Liu Mengmei". However, Du Liniang had a "dream" and thought too much. On his deathbed, he asked his parents to bury him under the big plum tree in the garden. His parents lost their beloved daughter and specially built a "Meihua Temple" for her to worship the gods. Three years later, Liu Mengmei met the soul of Du Liniang under the plum tree, and Du Liniang was reborn. The most wonderful story in Peony Pavilion is actually related to plum blossoms!

Wang Luxiang: It seems that many Suzhou people like to use the word "Mei" in their names, and boys are no exception?

Sheng Xiaoyun: Yes! For example, my big teacher Yao Yinmei is a boy, and there is a generation of plum characters in our pingtan circle. I still remember seeing a striking sentence at the teacher's house, "Plum blossoms come from bitter cold". Plum blossoms have a long history with us.