The Comprehensive Discourse On Flower-diet In Beijing Throughout Qing Dynasty

The initiative effort to systematic investigate the Beijing-based flower diet through the history of Qing is presented in the paper. Rooted in the documents and materials combed through by the author, while viewed from the perspective of regional research," Eating Flowers" cultural phenomenon continuing through Qing dynasty and the value on health preserving could be expounded and analyzed with cultural ecology, folklore, botany and other research methods. After deliberation, the main conclusions of this article are as follows.One:while development background of Beijing-based flower diet in Qing dynasty being analyzed, a view is presented that eco-environment could be precondition for the source of the diet and prosperous development on flowers farming in the Qing regime, which becomes the material foundation on the formation of "flower diet".Second:According to the account of many a documents available, as the history materials concerning the Beijing based-flower diet before Qing dynasty and the one in Qing dynasty were combed through and verified historically, a discover has been put forward that before the Ming Dynasty the Beijing-based flower diet is scant with respect to varieties, mainly being confined to the palace-style diet. In the light of the Beijing-based flowers industry booming since Ming dynasty,"flower diet" gradually was sprawled into civil society with increasing resources on edible flowers. When the phenomenon, that eating flower might be eaten while abided by the customs relevant and the appointed festivals, had become increasingly common in the Beijing-based palace of the Qing Dynasty as did in urban life, flower diet was integrated naturally into people’s lives, leading to the diversified edible methods for all kinds of flowers and the multi-keeping health effect seen in the diet therapy.Third:An argument could be extracted from the relation with flower diet and court or urban life:as a unique regional culture founded on the Qing dynasty, the flower diet had played a significant role in court or urban life circle, moreover, it’s genesis could not be separated from superior geographical or regional environment and could be closely attached to the luxury life style from the imperial family and the scholar bureaucracy class who were obsessed with social fashions.Fourth:As far as flower diet and the keeping health panacea coveted by the above aristocracy concerned, the both is no better than on commonness over scientific nature displayed on the health effect seen in the flower diet therapy, but to appear more or less discrepancy in the flower diets as a means to target the keeping health. Fifty:the flower diet could be descended from Chinese traditional diet culture that demonstrates four the core connotations, including "courtesy, emotion, perfection and beauty". There is no question that civic cultural accomplishment and the social benefit on quality of life could be enhanced inestimable by combining the heritage value excavated with its modern industrial development. At last the application of edible flowers is embodied in economic benefits, ecological benefits as a whole.