The Cultural Background of Chinese Peony

The Cultural Background of Chinese Peony

The cultural background of peony can be traced back to thousands of years ago, and it has a profound influence on Chinese culture.As China's national flower, peony is regarded as a symbol of wealth, prosperity, nobleness and beauty, and also represents the indomitable spirit.

The origin of peony culture can be traced back to the time of The Book of Songs, when peony was first sung.In the Qin and Han dynasties, peony was included in Shennong Bencao Jing as a medicinal plant, and officially entered the list of pharmacology.In the Eastern Jin Dynasty, the image of peony began to appear in artistic works, such as the famous painting Luoshenfu by Gu Kaizhi.In the Southern and Northern dynasties, Yang Zihua painted peony, marking the beginning of peony's entry into the field of painting.

In the Sui and Tang dynasties, peony culture began to flourish.Emperor Yangdi of the Sui Dynasty set aside 200 square meters in Luoyang as the West Garden, which was the first time that peony was cultivated artificially and entered the imperial garden.In the Tang Dynasty, the cultivation of peony began to flourish and became a symbol of national prosperity. Planting and watching peony became a social trend at that time.Many famous poets have left countless beautiful lines to sing about peony.

In the Northern Song Dynasty, peony culture further developed. Not only did peony viewing evolve into a folk custom and an activity that the whole people participated in, but peony also became one of the main materials for poetry, prose, painting, porcelain, weaving and embroidery, sculpture, religion and other fields. At this time, there were a large number of poems and songs describing peony, as well as monographs on peony such as Luoyang Peony Record by Ouyang Xiu, Luoyang Flower Record by Zhang Shan, Tianpeng Peony Record by Lu You, Peony Honor and Disgrace Record by Qiu Jun, and Chenzhou Peony Record by Zhang Bangji.

In a word, peony culture is an important part of Chinese culture, representing the symbolic meaning of wealth, prosperity, nobility and beauty, and also reflecting people's pursuit and yearning for a better life.