The Symbolism and Implications of Peony Flowers
As the leading flower among China's top ten traditional famous flowers, the peony carries millennium cultural codes with its dignified and luxurious posture. From the grand courts of the Tang Dynasty to modern gardens, this plant, hailed as the 'King of Flowers', has always been radiating a unique cultural brilliance. Its rich system of symbolism has permeated poetry, songs, painting arts, and even folk traditions.
The Symbolic System of Peonies in Millennium Culture
Witness of Prosperous Civilization
Since its extensive cultivation in Chang'an during the time of Wu Zetian, the peony has been closely associated with prosperity and golden ages. Li Bai's 'The clouds think of your dress and the flowers think of your appearance' compares Yang Guifei to a peony, establishing its reputation for 'national color and fragrance'. In the Ming and Qing dynasties, Luoyang, Henan, developed a unique Peony Festival, continuing the grandeur of 'the city is moved when the flowers bloom' to the present day.
Bearer of Diverse Meanings
In traditional auspicious culture, the peony not only symbolizes wealth and completeness but also implies the trait of a gentleman keeping his word. During the imperial examination era, scholars often wore peony patterns, hoping for a successful career and maintaining their integrity. In folk wedding customs, bedding with peony patterns symbolizes 'wealth and living a long life', showing people's multidimensional expectations for a better life.
Color Code: Detailed Explanation of the Symbolism of Peony Flower Colors
Classic Color Spectrum Analysis
The red series represents wealth and auspiciousness, often used in celebration scenes; snow green contains the virtue of modesty, suitable for gifts to teachers; dark purple symbolizes eternal love in Western flower language and has recently become a favorite in wedding celebrations. Among them, the rare green peony, depicted by the Tang Dynasty poet Wang Wei as 'green and leisurely, quiet and still', has become the favorite of literary scholars.
Comparative Cross-Cultural Imagery
In Japan, white peonies symbolize purity; in France, yellow peonies represent wealth; and in Persian miniature paintings, blue peonies are often used as a symbol of heaven. This diversity of color symbolism makes the peony a special envoy of international cultural exchange.
Brushwork Excellence: The Image of Peonies in Chinese Paintings
Traditional Composition Philosophy
Xu Wei's 'Splashed Ink Peony' broke the traditional fine brushwork, using a freehand technique to express the aura of wealth. The peony in the paintings of Bashan Ren is often accompanied by strange stones, symbolizing the literary bone of 'wealth that cannot be moved'. Lang Shining integrated Western perspective techniques to create court peony paintings with a three-dimensional effect.
Decoding Composite Imagery
The combination of peony and cat is homophonic with 'wealth and longevity'; with narcissus, it forms 'heavenly wealth', commonly seen in New Year's greeting paintings; and with peacocks, it creates the classic pattern of 'wealth and auspiciousness'. Modern painters often combine peonies with elements such as high-speed trains and spacecraft to show the contemporary interpretation of traditional symbols.
From Dunhuang murals to contemporary art exhibitions, the peony has always been blooming with the vitality of advancing culture. This flower, which carries the memories of Chinese civilization, is telling Chinese stories with a new posture and blooming in the garden of world culture.