The national flower of China
In China's traditional culture, flowers always carry special symbolic significance. The choice of national flowers as a national cultural symbol not only involves aesthetic preferences, but also the inheritance of the national spirit. The national flower dispute between peony and plum blossoms that has lasted for more than 30 years reflects the evolution of the diverse characteristics of China culture and the value orientation of the times. The historical origin of the selection of national flowers dates back to the time when the Qing Dynasty designated peony as the national flower in 1903. There have been four formal selections in China's modern history. The latest data shows that in the 2022 online poll, Peony leads with a support rate of 53.7%, followed by Plum Blossom with 42.1%. The cultural connotation of the main candidate flowers Peony: Liu Yuxi's poem "Only peony is the true color of the country", a totem of the Tang Dynasty in the prosperous times, established its status as a national color. The thousand-year-old peony king at the Sui and Tang ruins in Luoyang witnesses the aesthetic orientation of the heyday of Chinese civilization. The popularity rate of peony potted plants in modern urban families reaches 28%, and its image of wealth still has a broad mass base. Plum Blossom: The spiritual symbol Lu You's "Bo Operators·Yong Plum Blossom" created the image of Hanmei Plum Blossom has been sublimated into a symbol of national integrity. There are 137 varieties in Meihua Mountain in Nanjing, of which rare varieties such as "Lafu Wanshui" account for 65% of the global total. Its folk meaning of "Five Blessings Flowers" maintains strong vitality in the Jiangnan area. The cultural value of the second selected variety The philosophical connotation of lotus flowers The image of a gentleman established by Zhou Dunyi's "Love Lotus Theory" makes it unique in the culture of clean government. The "Quyuan Fenghe" of the ten scenic spots of the West Lake receives more than 20 million tourists a year, confirming its continued influence. The folk customs of chrysanthemums are inherited by Tao Yuanming and combined with the customs of the Double Ninth Festival to form a unique cultural landscape. The Kaifeng Chrysanthemum Culture Festival has been held for 40 consecutive years, cultivating 37 new varieties every year.
The choice of national flowers is essentially a modern interpretation of cultural genes. The dispute between peony and plum blossoms is just like the dialectical unity of entering the world and being born in traditional culture. Whether we adopt the "Two Flowers in One Country" or the "Four Seasons National Flowers" plan in the future, we need to find a balance between cultural inheritance and the spirit of the times.