Blossoming Virtues

China has a long tradition of celebrating flowering plants. Flower festivals specifically offer the opportunity to appreciate the beauty of blooming peonies, peaches and meihua plums, and at the autumnal Double Ninth Festival people gather in parks and gardens to admire chrysanthemums.

In earlier times there was a more practical attitude towards plants, as they had medical applications, as evidenced by specialist books on medicinal herbs, flowers and trees, such as that by 16th century botanist Li Shizhen that describes the characteristics of 1,100 plants.

When growing plants for decorative purposes began, Chinese gardeners in this tradition developed an instinct as to where the best fruit trees or the most beautiful flowers grow. Their reasoning was based on the theory of celestial and earthly energy sources; well-known 11th century scientist Ouyang Xu believed that their proportionate combinations produce nondescript plants, whereas unequal shares engender either dazzlingly beautiful or strikingly ugly specimens, in other words, when celestial energy goes counter to natural order, a freak of nature is born, whereas if earthly energy deviates, a phenomenon of unearthly beauty is created.

Chinese horticulturalists also invest plants and trees with human virtues. The pine is traditionally regarded the pine as the most noble of trees, and symbolic of the virtues of straightforwardness and firmness. The 17th century gardener Wen Zhenheng advocated planting pines in front of study windows with decorative stones scattered among its roots, with narcissi, orchids and grasses planted around it. Bamboo ¨C resilient and coreless ¨C is seen as the embodiment of life-giving vacuity, and much lauded. The first book on bamboo, detailing its 300 varieties appeared in China in the 5th century.

Every Chinese garden grows ¡°plants of happiness,¡± namely the plum and peach, and there are willows, representative of the vital yang principle, in all parks. In southern China, ubiquitous magnolia and banana trees are a source of blessed shade as well as aesthetic delight in the summer months, while in autumn the mandarin tree is a source of botanic fragrance.

Throughout the centuries, plant connoisseurs have regarded the peony as a distillation of pure yang and therefore ¡°king of flowers.¡± There were 200 known varieties of peony as long ago as the 12th century. The ¡°Dancing Lion Cub¡± strain, with its pastel shade petals and leaves comparable to ¡°jasper butterflies¡± and ¡°Golden Pavilion¡± seeds was regarded as the supreme peony. Luoyang city in Henan Province has been famous for its splendid peonies since the Middle Ages. The city¡¯s annual Peony Festival is attended by flower-lovers from all over the world.

The chrysanthemum is perceived as the ultimate floral incarnation of Yin. This most beautiful of autumn flowers symbolizes tranquility, longevity and noble purity of mind. Those whose petals resemble ¡°multicolored heron¡¯s feathers¡± are those most admired. Hydrangeas, roses, narcissi, camellias, hyacinths, pomegranates and orchids have also been widely grown in China for centuries, and many varieties of roses popular in the West actually originated in China.

The lotus is the most admired of China¡¯s aquatic flowers, possibly by virtue of its Buddhist associations. There is undoubtedly an unearthly quality about this plant, whose stem grows from the darkest watery depths towards the sun, culminating in a beautifully delicate blossom that floats serenely on the water surface. The lotuses seen in Chinese parks are first germinated in specialized water tanks before being transplanted into ponds. There are specific geomantic rules for the planting of aquatic flowers; lotuses are planted farther from a bank or bridge than the water-lily which, with its small leaves and delicate flowers, is regarded as more aesthetically pleasing from a short distance than its more exotic cousin.

Their beauty aside, ornamental plants and flowers were also imbued with deep philosophical implications as to the fickleness of life. Trees and flowers in the Chinese garden were, in addition to being images of eternal beauty, also envisaged as images of fleeting youth and beauty. One household management book published during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) states: ¡°A flower grows for an entire year but is admired for just 10 days.¡±

Ornamental Chinese gardens generally have four areas that celebrate each season. On the winter landscape grow pines and frost-resistant plants and flowers. Cherries, honeysuckle, almonds, early roses, violets and narcissi bloom in the spring section and in summer corners are deciduous oak, ash and beech trees. The autumn area of the garden is redolent of mandarin trees and ablaze with chrysanthemums.

Special guidelines for admiring garden plants were formulated centuries ago. It was, and still is, believed that winter flowers are best appreciated from a secluded dwelling at new moon after the first snowfall. Spring flowers, on the other hand, are best contemplated from the terrace of an imposing palace in sunlight on a cool day. The best view of summer flowers is from beneath a shady tree in a bamboo grove, or on the banks of a stream during a fall of rain accompanied by a fresh breeze. Autumn flowers look best from a mossy path near a flight of steps, or from under twisted lianas at sunset or dusk.

The most popular trees and flowers have specific aesthetic associations. The willow, for example, connotes flowing water, the bamboo lambent shadows on summer nights, and the banana tree evokes the pattern of rain on dense foliage.

There is also a perceived hierarchy of flowers, each noble bloom having its low caste sidekick. Dog-roses and roses are regarded as fitting companions for the majestic peony; the plum¡¯s lowly companions are the camellia and the magnolia; the lotus is attended by the tuberose, and the chrysanthemum condescends to the begonia.

Direct parallels are also drawn between flowers and human spiritual and physical attributes. The orchid symbolizes of elegance and modesty, the chrysanthemum stoicism amid adversity. The magnolia epitomizes feminine beauty, and the lotus purity of heart amid a ¡°world of dust and filth.¡± A happily married couple is often compared with ¡°two lotus flowers on one stem.¡± The persimmon is synonymous with joi de vivre, and the pomegranate with abundant progeny. Chinese poets have allegorized the meihua plum, peony, lotus and chrysanthemum as the ¡°four noble beings.¡± Within this conceit, the combination of plum and bamboo signifies lasting friendship and plum and pine mutual devotion through thick and thin. The pine was formerly envisaged as representative of Confucianism, the bamboo as that of Buddhism and the plum of Taoism.

So, when next time take time out in a Chinese garden, consider the flowers how, and in what combination, they grow as you sip your tea, and enjoy their fragrance.