There is no national flower or national bird for the time being

National flower

Some people say it is a peony, but it is not yet

Must have the following qualities for the selection of the national flower Four conditions: first, it must be widely distributed; second, it must have a beautiful appearance; third, it must have profound cultural connotations; fourth, it must have certain economic value.

After 20 years of selection of the national flower, there is still no result. Some people applaud, some oppose, and some question. Recently, the Chinese Forestry Society has once again organized the selection of the national flower and has submitted it to the National People's Congress for review. In this competition, the waves are rising again——

The national flower is vacant

There are about 30,000 kinds of flowers in the world, and there are 10,000-20,000 kinds of flowers originating in my country. Many countries in the world, especially European countries, praise this as "Without Chinese flowers, there would be no garden." At present, more than 100 countries in the world have established their own national flowers, and China is the only major country that has not yet established a national flower.

Due to the lack of a national flower, at the 2001 APEC meeting, news reports included a joke "with China's national flower peony as the background"; at the 1999 Kunming World Horticultural Exposition, the lack of a national flower even became a symbol of ancient China. regret of the century.

In fact, China’s flower culture complex has a long history. Chinese people appreciate flowers not only for their color and appearance, but also for the personal meaning and spiritual power contained in flowers. Tao Yuanming's "Plucking Chrysanthemums on the Eastern Fence", Lin Jinghe's "Sparse Shadows Slanting Horizontally", Zhou Dunyi's "Escaped from the Mud but Unstained", Confucius' "Orchid is the King's Fragrance", Su Dongpo's "Only Afraid of the Deep Night" The flowers are sleeping, so burn high candles to illuminate the red makeup."... Most of Chinese painting is about painting flowers. Some people spend their entire lives just to paint one or several types of flowers well. It is not easy to draw a flower well. How many women are named after flowers in China? How many flowers are used as names for women in China? To foreigners, this is simply unbelievable.

Our country began to cultivate peonies during the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties. In the Tang Dynasty, peonies, known as the national beauty and heavenly fragrance, fit in with the aesthetic psychology of the society at that time and were known as the king of flowers. "Only peonies are the true national beauty, and they move the capital when they bloom." "Three streets and nine roads are in bloom, and thousands of households and cars see peonies." From these lines, we seem to be able to vaguely see the Tang people's infatuation and preference for peonies. In the Qing Dynasty, Cixi officially designated the peony as the national flower. In the history of literature and art, the number of plum poems and paintings is enough to make any kind of flower out of reach. The 1915 edition of "Cihai" contains: "Our country has always regarded the peony as the national flower." In 1929, the plum blossom was designated as the national flower by the National Government. From the perspective of flowers, one can interpret a piece of Chinese history and a piece of Chinese cultural history.

As a result, some netizens summarized the reasons for selecting the national flower as follows: China’s long flower culture and its profound spiritual impact on the Chinese people; the selection of the national flower reflects the importance of biodiversity; the continuous international exchanges Expansion requires a medium to express friendly intentions; to help drive the development of China's flower industry.

We must have our own national flower as a symbol of the national image and national spirit. When overseas tourists see China's plum blossoms and peonies, they will naturally feel a sense of pride in striving for self-improvement; when foreign friends see China's national flower, they will say China.

Objection to the National Flower

Not long ago, a Mr. Yang Shizhi wrote in the People's Daily "Is it necessary to comment on the national flower, national tree and national bird?" "" article raised objections to the selection, and believed that "there are many more important things waiting for us to do than appraise the national flower, national tree and national bird", and many things "are of less practical significance than appraising the national flower and national tree." , the national bird is much more important.”

"Species in nature are equal, and we humans do not need to classify them into hierarchies. No matter which national tree, national bird, or national flower is selected, it will definitely make a large number of citizens unhappy, especially They are intellectuals, because their idols were not selected, and their hard-to-change thoughts and feelings were hurt. If we select national trees, national birds, and national flowers in order to pursue beauty or improve people's environmental awareness, then we are evaluating the national tree. , national bird, national flower, but also the national fish, national insect, national bird, national beast...it will never end.

"A scholar commented on Xinhuanet.

Not having a national flower will not hinder the country's sovereignty, the national spirit, or the country's future.

On the contrary, almost any There are huge economic interests behind the selection. Local governments and industry associations are so vigorously competing for the "national" brand name because they consider that the "national" brand name will bring incalculable value and reputation to the industry and local economy and reputation. Influence.

In the two selections in the 1980s, plum blossoms won the first place and peonies ranked second. In the 1994 selection, peonies won the first place and plum blossoms ranked second. The competition has reached an intense stage, and the competition between flowers has even evolved into a competition between provinces and provinces, and between cities. Luoyang, Henan, established a "Peony Struggle for National Flower Leading Group" personally headed by the mayor, plus Beijing, Shaanxi. Xi'an City of Shandong Province and Heze District of Shandong Province jointly established the "National Peony Competition National Flower Office", and the four parties "lobbyed" to promote the peony as the national flower. Finally, the two candidates determined by experts were one country, one flower (one country, one flower). Peony) and the Four Flowers of a Country (peony, lotus, chrysanthemum, plum blossom). The selection team organized a vote in 31 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions, and the peony won with 18 votes.

The selection of the national flower has almost become a chaotic competition among the Eight Immortals. Nearly 10 years later, the issue is still worthy of our reflection.

Who gets the oiran

Why has no national flower been selected for more than 20 years?

According to the Chinese Forestry Society, the selection of national flowers must meet four conditions: first, it must be widely distributed; second, it must be beautiful in appearance; The third is that it must have profound cultural connotations; the fourth is that it must have certain economic value.

Some scholars immediately questioned: The requirement of "wide distribution" is inappropriate. It seems reasonable but is too subjective. Because what everyone likes is not necessarily the most widely distributed species. The giant panda is not widely distributed, but it is a national treasure that everyone loves. For the same reason, "beautiful appearance" should not be used as a hard and fast rule, because "beautiful" does not matter. There is no unified standard. With China's vast territory, complex population composition, and differences in the traditions of various ethnic groups, such a request is particularly meaningless; whether it is a "national tree" or even a "world tree", it is just a tree, not a tree. There will be too many connotations, and things like "green pines and proud snow show character" are just literary language and are not enough evidence. What's more, the connotation of traditional culture is broad and profound. For example, Confucianism, which talks about "the golden mean", is a kind of culture, but anti-moderate. Law is also a type of culture. How can it be represented by just a few flowers, birds, fish and insects?

It is true that China has a vast territory and an extremely deep flower culture. One country and one flower cannot represent the entire country’s nature and plants. , humanistic situation.

It is understood that in the past, peony and plum blossom had many voices in the selection of national flowers in mainland my country. Professor Chen Junyu was the first expert in mainland China to advocate the selection of national flowers. As early as 1982, he proposed to use plum blossom as the national flower. Later, he proposed the idea of ??"one country, two flowers" (peonies and plum blossoms), which caused great repercussions at home and abroad.

Many experts believe that one country and two flowers are more appropriate. Plum blossoms can represent the Yangtze River Basin, and peonies can represent flowers in the Yellow River Basin. One tree and one shrub symbolize spiritual civilization and reflect the hard work and perseverance of the Chinese people. , a symbol of material civilization, reflecting the peace, prosperity and peace of the country and the people. Respecting both plum blossoms and peonies as national flowers can inspire people of all ethnic groups and descendants of Yan and Huang at home and abroad to continue to strive for self-improvement and work hard to realize the happiness and prosperity symbolized by peonies. In 1994, China held a grand national flower selection, and the peony was selected as the national flower, and the orchid, lotus, chrysanthemum, and plum were selected as the "Famous Flowers of the Four Seasons". However, the National People's Congress believed that the differences between the parties were too great and did not make a resolution. In the end, nothing was done. , it’s really hard to agree on.

After all, selecting the national flower is a very serious matter. It is better to be cautious than to make a hasty decision, otherwise it will cause eternal regrets.

In comparison, those countries with small territory, short history, single culture, and uncomplicated ethnic structure can easily select their own national flowers, such as the acacia in Australia, the tulip in the Netherlands, and the tulip in France. fragrant irises, cornflowers in Germany, water lilies in Thailand... There are not many people, so it is easy to unify opinions and take care of everything, and it is easy to come up with a conclusion that everyone can accept.

Chinese oirans are not well received.

National Flower Appraisal

Why must the selection of the national flower be decided by the National People’s Congress?

The selection of the national flower will not happen in the era of war and turmoil, nor in the years of hunger and cold. The selection of the national flower is an act of prosperity, which shows that Chinese society has moved towards peace and prosperity.

But does the selection of the national flower have to be reported to the National People’s Congress? By analogy, in the future, all selections of "national" brands, such as national wine, national banquet, national bamboo, national fruit, national grass... will be reported to the National People's Congress for decision. Wouldn't the National People's Congress become an industry selection committee? Moreover, the national flower obviously cannot be compared with the national flag, national emblem, and national anthem, because the latter is a symbol of a sovereign country, and the national flower does not have this symbolic nature.

The National People's Congress, the highest authority, exercises state power on behalf of the people of the country. Its powers include legislation, supervision, appointment and removal, etc. The selection of the national flower is obviously not within its scope of powers.

Since it is a "national" title selection, it should reflect the interests of the greatest possible number of people. Specifically, which animal and plant species can win the halo of "national" title should not be set by relevant agencies or experts in advance. , can only be decided by the citizens through appropriate methods, because this type of selection does not have any scientific research effect. This kind of selection should not be subordinated to economic or other purposes, such as tourism development, etc. This is different from the previous selection of the "Top Ten Famous Mountains in China". The selection of the Top Ten Famous Mountains is indeed responsible for "enhancing China's mountainous areas". "The overall image of resources", it is understandable that we should give some consideration to the tourism industry at that time. The added value of the national trees, birds, and flowers and the top ten famous mountains are different.

Dr. Tao Qingmei from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences believes that the national flower has the symbolic significance of the country’s business card. The formulation of evaluation standards is a major event that affects the relationships and interests of all parties and directly affects the selection process and the fairness of the results. It cannot be done without explanation. The public is deprived of their right to speak and vote in formulating selection criteria, and is awarded to the Chinese Forestry Society casually.

When it comes to selecting the national flower, the most important thing is to have a set of open and fair procedures and standards. At the same time, there must be extensive public participation across the country. Just imagine if, like in 1986, there was no public enthusiasm for participation at all, and more than one billion citizens only cast a pitiful 150,000 votes, but such an election result that lacked widespread participation was used as a nationally recognized "national ×" introduction Let the world know whether such selection activities are condensing or disintegrating the public's patriotic enthusiasm?

Professor Chen Junyu also said: "The constitutions of various countries only provide for the national flag and national emblem. No country has included the national flower in the constitution. It can be seen that the national flower should be for the masses, and the selection of the national flower should also be Extensive solicitation of opinions from the masses.”

Therefore, although the selection of the national flower is solemn, its political or economic significance is very limited, and it should not be turned into a political activity. It should be treated with a normal attitude and standards. The determination and final decision should still respect the opinions of the people.

National Bird

The national bird of China has not yet been determined. Only the golden rooster is the national bird.

And this is what is on the website of "China National Geographic" magazine In this survey, Phoenix topped the list with an absolute advantage

Among all the candidates for "national brand" business cards, the appearance of "Phoenix" seems both alternative and natural. What is different is that it does not exist in reality at all. Naturally, it is a very real image in the hearts of most Chinese people. It has long been the national bird of the Chinese people spiritually. It’s no wonder that in this online survey by China National Geographic magazine, Phoenix topped the list with an absolute advantage.

Supporters believe that the Chinese people’s love for Phoenix is ??unmatched by anything else.

Not only the names of people, places, things, trade names, appliances, buildings, and works of art, but also language, literature, folk customs, and festivals are everywhere. The Chinese endow Phoenix with all the good things: beauty, auspiciousness, kindness, tranquility, virtue, and nature. Chongfeng is a strong national sentiment. Select the national bird. If we could break out of the narrow frame of pure biology, then the national bird would be the phoenix, and there would be no need for so much controversy. Another advantage of choosing Phoenix is ??that it can balance the different choices about the "national bird" in various regions and various interests and preferences. It can also realize the uniqueness of the national bird. Because the "one" of Phoenix is ??"many".

Opponents believe that the selection of the national bird should still be based on scientific principles. In addition to the phoenix, there are also red-crowned cranes, crested ibises, golden pheasants and many other birds. These birds are all real in reality, and they are all nationally protected animals, and even world-class endangered animals. The selection of national birds should still be based on the realistic perspective of protecting birds.

Whether it is support or opposition, people’s good wishes are expressed from different aspects. As far as the world is concerned, there has never been a unified standard for selecting national birds