What does the peony represent in Ming Dynasty art?

Peony's profound cultural symbolism: The use of cultural symbolism is a major feature of traditional Chinese culture. In Chinese language and culture as well as various art forms, various techniques, such as metaphors, pictograms, harmonies and so on, are often used to express some specific symbols or meanings in people's lives and thoughts, and then to express people's as well as the nation's ideals, wishes, aspirations and pursuits. In traditional Chinese culture, symbol is also an artistic expression technique, which is the result of human beings using active and rich imagination to generalize the natural world and human social relations. Through a comparative study of Chinese and Western cultures, W. Eberhard, a professor at the University of California, has written a Dictionary of Chinese Cultural Symbols1 , whose original title was A Dictionary of Chinese Symbols - Symbols Hidden in the Life and Thought of the Chinese People. In the Introduction of the book, the author cites the research results of some Western scholars and points out that "the symbolic language of the Chinese, in the form of a second form of a language, pervades the communication of information among the Chinese; and because it is a second level of communication, it has a deeper effect, expresses the nuances of meaning as well as implies richer things than the language in general. " "They formed a society that utilized symbolic forms. This expression is strengthened by habit and unites the individual with public **** order and morality." This is a generalization of Chinese symbolic culture by foreign scholars. In W. Eberhard's writings, a large amount of information and pictures have been collected to describe the symbolism of the Chinese peony and other flowers and birds. In fact, the basic symbolism of plants, which are closely related to human life, has appeared as early as the initial stage of human history, and has gradually deepened with the development of human society. The original meaning of the word "symbol" in Ancient Greece was a kind of identification mark, which later evolved into a way of emotional expression, especially in the difficult years, symbols as a kind of persistent hope, a kind of symbol of yearning, especially valued by people. In traditional Chinese culture, the cultural symbolism of flowers has a rich content. As far as the peony is concerned, the graceful and noble flower and its dignity and richness have triggered a lot of associations among people, giving rise to a series of cultural symbolism associated with it and forming the basic connotation of the peony culture. (I) Symbol of National Prosperity When peony blossoms are in bloom, the flowers are like brocade, splendid and brilliant. In the heyday of the Tang Dynasty, the whole country was overwhelmed by them, and the peony blossom season became a carnival in Chang'an, the capital city. Liu Yuxi, a poet of the Tang Dynasty, praised the peony: "Peony is the true color of the country, and it moves the capital when it is in bloom". Later on, Li Zhengfeng wrote the famous line "The national color is sound in the morning and the heavenly fragrance dyes the clothes in the night", and there is even a good poem written by Pi Rixiu about peony: "After the residual red has fallen, the peony spits out its fragrance; it is called the king of a hundred flowers, and boasts that it is unrivaled in the world in terms of beauty, and occupies the first spring in the world alone". In the peony poem written by Han Yu, a university scholar of the Zhaowenkan University in the Northern Song Dynasty, the peony was also praised for its "national splendor". Thus, since the Tang and Song dynasties, peony has become a symbol of auspiciousness, happiness and prosperity, and has been carried on for generations. 1959, Premier Zhou Enlai said in Luoyang: "Peony is the national flower of our country, which is graceful and magnificent, and is a symbol of the prosperity and happiness of the Chinese nation". Today, this cultural symbolism of peony has been given a new meaning because she very aptly represents the beautiful image of the reform and opening up of China's national prosperity and prosperity with a bright future, with distinctive characteristics of the times, and expresses the ideals and aspirations of people of all ethnic groups of the country*** with the same ideals and aspirations. (II) Expectation and Pursuit of Affluent Life Peony flowers are rich in purple and red, giving people a sense of affluence from the temperament. Since the Song Dynasty, peony has been called the "flower of wealth". It is said that peony has been called "rich and noble flower" since Song Dynasty. It is said in Song Dynasty philosopher Zhou Dunyi's "Sayings on Loving Lotus" (1), in which he wrote: "Since Li Tang Dynasty, the world loves peony very much". He wrote: "Since Li Tang, the world has loved peonies", and "Peony is the richest of flowers". From then on, peony is closely associated with the word "rich and noble". Xu Wei, a famous painter of Ming Dynasty, wrote a poem about peony in ink: "I have been poor and lowly for 58 years, but have I ever missed the spring in Luoyang? Otherwise, is there not less marriage fat in it? The rich flower will be written in ink." He also called the peony "the best peony in the world". He also called peony "rich and noble flower". n Zhao Shixue of Heze in Qing Dynasty wrote "Peony Rich and Noble", in which he wrote: "I see a flower of peony, which opens in the rainy season, with unparalleled national color, and there is a unique richness in it, and who can compare with this gorgeous one in the garden of all the flowers?" "That is to say, the peony is rich, rich but not proud, not a gentleman but a real gentleman; and it is noble, noble but not hostage, not a hidden one". In the paintings and various arts and crafts works of the past dynasties, peony, as a symbol of wealth and nobility, and other flowers, birds, rocks and stones in different combinations, showed different meanings combined with wealth and nobility. It should be mentioned that in the old society, the word "rich and noble" seemed to be a symbol of wealth and status at the exploitation stage. In fact, the word "rich" itself was not possessed by the exploitative stage. In a certain sense, the development of human society is driven by the pursuit of material and spiritual wealth. Confucius, the Most Sacred Master, said, "To be rich and noble without benevolence is like floating clouds to me." He was only against being unkind to the rich and despised the use of unkind means to seize wealth and riches, but did not regard wealth and riches as evil and heresy. In fact, in the folk culture mentioned later, the word rich and noble is quite widely used. The fact that peonies are endowed with the character of wealth and nobility is precisely the essential connotation of peonies that has won the favor of the general public. In the old society, the poor working masses were always thinking of getting rich, and the pursuit of wealth can be said to be the innate nature of human beings. For thousands of years, generation after generation of Chinese people in the pursuit of a better life on the journey, through suffering, obsession. Today, the Chinese ****productivity party has made it clear that poverty is not socialism, and that the fundamental way out for China is to take the road of ****same affluence. Peony represents the expectation and pursuit of the people. (People love peony, but they also give peony an excellent character that can represent the spiritual strength of the Chinese nation. In the legend of Wu Zetian's peony depreciation, Wu Zetian visited the garden on a winter day, and on a whim, she ordered all the flowers to open for a limited period of time, and all the flowers had to open for fear of power, but the peony did not blossom on time, and it was ordered by Wu Zetian to be set on fire, and was depreciated out of Chang'an. In the story of Qiuweng Encountering the Immortals, a group of evil slaves destroyed the flowers and dominated the garden. It was the Peony Fairy who came in time to save the destroyed peonies and severely punished the thugs. The peony is praised for its defiance of power and evil forces, and it is believed that she is "not only a flower with a beautiful quality that surpasses all other flowers, but also a flower with a strong bone and a strong heart that surpasses all other flowers". As a "rich flower", peony is not delicate and fragile. She originally grew in the mountains, but in recent times, because of the shrinking forest area and the indiscriminate digging of medicinal herbs, the wild peony can only grow tenaciously in the cliffs and crags. On the arid and barren land of the Loess Plateau, she still blooms splendidly, just as the "Song of Peony" sings, she truly demonstrates the virtue of "offering beauty to the world", a kind of selfless dedication. Besides, in the minds of the people, peony is also the embodiment of beauty and a symbol of purity and love. In the folk song "Hua'er", which is widely sung in Northwest China, "Hua'er" refers to peony, and it is also the name of the male partner to the female partner in the duet. The country honors prosperity, the family emphasizes wealth and peace, and people are happy with happiness and good fortune, all these characteristics and symbols are present in the peony!