The Study Of Flower FU In Song Dynasty

The image of flowers has always taken an crucial place in Chinese ancient literature.Scholars would often use flowers to draw exaltation or chant the flowers to express emotions,which had led to the prosperity of Chinese literature in chanting flowers.Besides the great natural beauty,the flowers are often given the special spiritual intension which is deeply affected by the national cultures and that makes such extraordinary significance.Due to its flexible creation modes as well as abundant quantities,Flower Fu in most cases has deep cultural connotations and implied meanings,which functions considerably in studying the flowers culture,and the exploration of scholars' spirits together with the time characters in virture of chanting flowers.Inherited the tradition of universally appreciating flowers from Tang Dynasty,Flower Fu in Song Dynasty had presented a unique writing style with both the absorption of the chanting flower experience since the pre-Qin period,as well as the influence from its own environments including economies,politics,cultures and scholarism.Besides on the delicate description of flowers' external beauty,Flower Fu in Song Dynasty had diffusely stretched its writing to the analogies of virtues,which had finalized the "flowers' characters" in Song Dynasty and contributed to its developing to personal morality standard and the symbol of national spirits.The historical and cultural background was the incubator of Flower Fu creation trends in Song Dynasty,in turn,the unique appearance of Flower Fu was also the sally port to explore the history and culture in Song Dynasty.During the typical transform period of feudal society from Tang to Song Dynasty,the core of chanting flowers had transferred from peony to plum blossom,the changes of' which indicated the grave transitional track in the development of' Chinese nation.The creation of Flower Fu in Song Dynasty was closely interactive with its historical and time backgrounds.Developments of commodity economy,advances in horticultural techniques,the introduction of foreign flowers,scholar-official's pursuit of elegant life conception under the national policy of "valuing civil and disdaining military",as well as the desire to manifest the legality of regime by writing the local flowers,had together promoted the prosperous ethos of appreciating and chanting flowers in Song Dynasty.Compared with former similar works,Flower Fu in Song Dynasty had presented its distinguishing feature in transformations from descriptions of objects to the establishments of characters through comparations of virtues,which had a certain relation with the development of neo-confucianism in Song Dynasty and the scholars' introverted mentality under the background of weakening national power.In terms of subjects,Flower Fu in Song Dynasty had diverse attitudes towards different flowers with different symbolic significance,such as plum blossom,peony,peach flower,apricot blossom,etc.This phenomenon is a reflection of cultural ideological trend and scholars' sentiment in Song Dynasty.The formation of the tradition of comparing virtues was profoundly influenced by the idea of "Three immortality",which could be elucidated as the establishment of morality,honour,and dictum.Flower Fu's pursuit of virtue,mostly embodied in three aspects:indomitable spirits,noble and unsullied characters and the unsophisticated temperament.In the long-standing aesthetic experience,the flowers' easy fading had the similar psychologic basis with humans' aging and the undulations of success and failure,so the emotions of "time and tide wait for no man" and "sorrows for one's inappreciative abilities" had been the important content of Flower Fu in Song Dynasty.In addition,Flower Fu in Song Dynasty,on the one hand functioned as both praise and irony to seek the establishments of dictum and contributions,on the other hand,reflecting the Song scholar-officials' special mental pursuit,it tried to balance the two spiritual worlds of officialdom and civilian with the help of Buddhism and Taoism.The characteristics of flowers' shapes,colours,fragrances,time,place and function came first when appealing to the scholars.In Flower Fu in Song Dynasty,all these elements became the dependence for discovering the flowers' characters and depositing emotions.Also,the growing environment had become an aspect to inspect the flowers."flowers shaped like the snow","flowers blossomed in the snow","flowers blossomed beneath the moon","flowers blossomed alongside the water",the flowers' chaste characters and awe-inspiring courage had been manifested by the method of chanting similar objects.The method of using analogies of "beauty" and"gentleman" can often be seen in Flower Fu in Song Dynasty.This interacted way of mixed metaphors of people and flowers had let the flowers like plum blossom,chrysanthemum etc.a combination of symbolic significance:anchorite,profound scholar,husband,teacher,student and so on.The connotation of comparing virtues had reached its new heights in Song Dynasty.During the two dynasty in Tang and Song,flamboyant peony and implicit plum blossom,the two flowers in very different aesthetic characteristics had respectively been the writing core of two dynasties.This exclusive cultural phenomenon indicated the profound effects on social aesthetic and scholars' pursuit,carried out by the transform of the centre of economy and policy,as well as the evolution of cultural thoughts and trend in historical transitional period.