The proud plum blossoms have not yet awakened from the silence of winter, and the vitality of spring has not yet arrived. Thousands of flowers have withered in the vast land, and thousands of trees have withered. However, only plum blossoms bloom alone, proud of the frost and snow, and the cold wind. . Dots of red plum blossoms are like bright red blood, and patches of white blossoms are like holy powder. In this vast world, this is the only one that is bright and bright, not called frost or snow, it is aloof and proud. A gentleman's style. No wonder people praised him and called him a gentleman with respect. Plum, orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemum are called the "Four Gentlemen" by the ancients. Plum blossom ranks first among the four gentlemen, which shows how deeply Chinese people love plum blossoms. Pine, bamboo and plum are collectively known as the "Three Friends of Suihan". Chinese people have a long tradition of loving plum blossoms, and they have also made achievements in cultivating plum blossoms. Plum blossoms are originally wild, but our people have domesticated and cultivated them, making them a treasure among flowers and a famous flower in our country. There are records about plum blossoms in ancient books, "Plum blossoms grow in the Chuangu Valley of Hanzhong", and the introduction and domestication of plum blossoms has a history of more than 3,000 years. Nowadays, plum blossoms have spread all over the country and can be seen everywhere. They are even made into bonsais and can be admired with just a few glances. Chinese people's love for plum blossoms can also be seen in calligraphy, painting and poetry. Plum blossoms have always been an image expressed and eulogized in art. The plum blossom once became China's national flower. Nowadays, in the public initiative to select the national flower, many people still pay attention to the plum blossom among the opinions collected. Of course, people love plum blossoms for many reasons. The beauty of plum blossoms is very attractive to people. This is its natural beauty, the beauty of artificial cultivation; it also has the beauty of spiritual symbol, and its ability to withstand severe cold. It has become a spiritual symbol of the Chinese nation that is not afraid of violence, unyielding, strong and proud. The natural beauty of plum blossoms is quite charming. The flowers are beautiful, the branches are beautiful, and there is a special kind of emotional charm in the postures and postures. Laogan's beautiful flowers, iron bones and red hearts, are in strange shapes, sparse and dense, horizontal and slanted. There are many varieties of plum blossoms. Plum blossoms are easy to mutate, and there are many varieties. my country's forestry work took many years to investigate and found that there are more than 200 varieties in each of China's 18 provinces and cities. Twelve categories and thirty groups constitute a system. Such as Jiangmei, Gongfenmei, Dahongmei, Jade Butterfly Plum, Cinnabar Plum, Sajin Plum, Huangxiang Plum, Early Plum, Apricot Plum, Zhaoshui Plum, Longyou Plum, etc. There are different varieties and different flower colors. The flowers of red plums are pink, the flowers of apricot plums are red, the flowers of white plums, green-calyx plums and ice plums are white, and the flowers of fine plums are actually green. When the plum blossoms bloom, there are no leaves; and the pedicels are short, as if the flowers are growing on the branches. It's still a wonder of plum blossoms. The Chinese people's love for plum blossoms is also reflected in the way they arrange and plant plums. They may open plum gardens specifically, divide areas specifically, specialize in one kind of plum, or plant them densely in large areas beside streams and on lings. Their names reflect their scale. . For example: Meiyuan, Meiling, Meixi. When the plum blossoms are in full bloom, the forest of plum blossoms is even more spectacular, with piles and patches, like fire and snow; the flowers are in full bloom, and people walking among them feel as if they are in a fairyland. Like thousands of plum blossoms blooming together, the fragrance is astounding and intoxicating from miles away. No wonder, at this time of year, people often go together to watch. Only by immersing yourself in the scene can you appreciate its beautiful momentum. People praise and call this state "Xiangxuemei", which is indeed worthy of the name. The fragrance and color of the flowers have inspired many literati to write many beautiful sentences and famous articles. In Su Shi's "Red Plum", there is a sentence that "spreading dizziness on the jade skin for no reason", the color of plum blossoms is like a pair of intoxicating beauty. Liu Houcun's "Spring in the Palace of the Han Dynasty" writes about plum blossoms that are even more profound: "The ice is covered with snow, and I am the only one who is dotted with crimson and condensed fat; I should sneer at the begonias to sleep drunk, and the peonies will enrich the muscles." "I am not greedy for beauty, but appreciate the quiet beauty. ". The plum blossoms are so shy, aloof and full of fun. Plum blossoms are divided into five petals and are highly decorative. Plum blossom patterns can be seen everywhere in handicrafts and architectural designs. Plum blossom trademarks, plum blossoms, plum blossom medals, plum blossom-shaped fruit boxes, and even the Plum Pavilion itself on Dengwei Mountain in Suzhou is a plum blossom-shaped building. Ancient people also said that the five petals of the plum blossom are a symbol of the five blessings: one is joy, the other is happiness, the third is longevity, the fourth is success, and the fifth is peace. These are traditional auspicious concepts that people rely on, and these contents are still valuable today. Of course their connotations have changed.

All beautiful things are most taboo with artificiality. Some of them are cut down and modified at will in order to force the branches of the plum trees to bend, which is not beautiful. Gong Zizhen, an outstanding thinker and writer in the Qing Dynasty, denounced this kind of artificial trimming in "Records of the Sick Plum Museum" for damaging the natural beauty of plums. , to suppress their anger, in order to pay a high price, but the plum trees in Jiangsu and Zhejiang are all sick." He was heartbroken and determined to open a plum museum, "I vowed to treat them, let them go, and let them go" to remove the ropes so that the plum trees could recover. The beauty of nature. Of course, bonsais are also artificially constructed and decorated. High-end ones are art, created by artists with high standards and traditional experience and skills. That is artistic beauty. Therefore, Gong Zizhen's theory cannot be considered biased. Of course, his call for help for sick plums focused on the liberation of personality, but Gong Zizhen's emphasis on the natural beauty of plums was very insightful. The beauty of plum blossoms has spiritual value because it has become a symbol of the spiritual beauty of the Chinese nation. Its unique natural properties are in line with the Chinese people’s high moral values ??and ideal pursuit. The plum blossoms are independent of the severe cold, resist frost and snow, and smile proudly among the flowers. They symbolize the virtues of the industrious, brave and hard-working Chinese nation, who do not stomach violence, are unyielding in adversity, and stand tall and alone. It blooms before spring, a single flower blooms alone, announcing spring but not beautifying spring. When spring returns to the earth with colorful purples and reds, her face is hidden in emotion. This is a noble virtue, one that is proud but not arrogant, noble but not vulgar, pursuing but not overbearing, and ethical but not explicit. Isn’t this exactly the national character of the Chinese nation? In this way, the Chinese people's love for plum blossoms has a dual aesthetic meaning. It is not only to appreciate the natural beauty, but also to express one's own embrace. Those who love plum blossoms and appreciate them as one of the "Four Gentlemen" have a spiritual state that is by no means humble. People who love plum blossoms often use it to show their nobility. In poems about plum blossoms, you can often get a glimpse of the poet's soul. Among the ancients who loved Mei, Lu You was also a prominent one. He loves plum blossoms the most and compares himself with plum blossoms. "How can one transform into hundreds of billions? A plum tree blooms and a man blooms." He once wrote many plum blossom quatrains. "Bu Suanzi: Yong Mei" best reflects his ethics and is widely circulated. Its lyrics are: "The Broken Bridge Outside the Post Office" Beside, lonely and lonely. It's already dusk, and the wind and rain are coming. I have no intention of fighting for the spring, and the flowers are scattered into mud and become dust. "The feeling of loneliness and desolation is revealed. The same plum blossom will have another feeling in another spiritual state. Mao Zedong also wrote a poem about Lu You, deliberately "using it contrary to its meaning" and showing different images and sentiments. Laughing." The same plum blossoms express different aesthetics and ideological realms, and plum blossoms show different aspects of beauty. Two poems, one depicts the lonely flower that Ren Qunfang is jealous of, one depicts a member of the bush who first blooms with mountain flowers and greets the ice and snow to announce spring, and the other expresses the temperament of an ancient poet with unfulfilled ambitions. , a song that expresses the spirit and pride of the revolutionary leader. This is true in art. When appreciating the beauty of life, people focus on different aspects, and this difference is also common. Everyone loves plum blossoms, but their aesthetic tastes may be very different. The Chinese people's deep love for plum blossoms is quite typical. There is no shortage of good stories and interesting stories in this regard throughout the ages. Lin Fu from the Song Dynasty is widely said to have written beautiful poems about plum blossoms. He was once known as "the wife of plum blossoms and the son of cranes". He lived in seclusion on a lonely mountain in the West Lake. He had not been in the city for several years. He was unmarried and childless. He planted plum blossoms and raised cranes next to his house. The people are strange and the poems are also strange. In the end, he was the leader of chanting plum blossoms. The famous contemporary gardener Yong Shoujuan also calls himself a "plum fan" who is "obsessed with plums". There is a plum house and plum mound in his courtyard, with more than a dozen plum trees and dozens of plum pile bonsais. There are also many famous paintings of ancient and modern plum blossoms hanging in the Plum House. During the plum blossom season, he here is also "beautiful and beautiful." He also has many poems about plum blossoms, one of which is like this: "Cold and delicate fragrance, dreamy leisure, red bracts and green calyx clusters loop around There is also Chaoju Pavilion here, which is a good place to enjoy plum blossoms in the forest. Comparing one's plum house with Chaoju Pavilion with thin cuckoo means comparing oneself with Lin Heqing. It is the cold season when plum blossoms bloom. The ancients often walked in the snow to look for plum blossoms as an elegant way of appreciating the beauty of life. Sometimes the plum blossoms bloom late, and they even bring bedding and sit under the plum blossoms to wait.

Zhu Xi's poem "Exploring Plum Blossoms" records the poet's mood and activities in this regard: "The frost and snow are cold plums. Why do they bloom alone this night? It should be because the flower god has no intention of caring about it, so he troubles me to write poems to remind him. Prosperity is not afraid of Sui Qingjiao, Who cares about the sparse shadows dipped in the green cup; cherishes the wine companions in the south, and seeks the river road to talk about fragrance." Wang Wei, the leader of the Tang Dynasty, reflected the ordinary people's love for plum blossoms: "You come from your hometown, you should know the things about your hometown. ", leaning against the window tomorrow, have the winter plum blossoms bloomed yet?" The poem is casual at all, but the love for plum blossoms is true, and plum blossoms have become the overriding nostalgia in the wanderer's heart. There is another strange thing about plum blossoms. Although they are not afraid of severe cold, they love warmth by nature. Therefore, most of the famous plum blossom viewing spots are in the south. For example: Hangzhou West Lake Gushan, Wuchang East Lake Meiling, Suzhou Deng Wei’s Fragrant Snow Sea, Wuxi Plum Garden. When the plum blossoms are in full bloom, tourists from far and near rush to watch them. Compared with the Chinese people's love for plum blossoms, there are too few plum blossom cultivations. When, there are more plum trees and plum bonsai. For more people to come here to inquire about plum blossom information, linger and have fun, and cultivate their feelings? ! China is the hometown of plum. It was introduced to South Korea in the 16th century and later to Japan. Japanese horticulturists grafted and planted more than 400 varieties, which was twice as many as in China. As a country that loves plum blossoms, we have unique insights in aesthetics and can keep pace with horticulture, so that we are worthy of the world.