Why do Luoyang people hold peony flowers?

"Who will be the young master in spring, and the leader is the peony". Peony, as one of the top ten traditional famous flowers in China, is known as the "Flower King" for its national beauty and elegance.

When peonies are mentioned, people often associate them with Luoyang. Ouyang Xiu wrote in Luoyang Peony Story: "Peony leaves Danzhou, Yanzhou and Qingzhou in the east and Yuezhou in the south, and Luoyang ranks first in the world." The reputation of "Luoyang Peony is the best in the world" has a long history. The reason is closely related to Luoyang peony's long cultivation history, rich varieties of colors, profound cultural background and grand flower activities.

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Peony had many names in ancient times, such as aunt mouse, deer, white velvet, wooden spoon medicine, hundred taels of gold and so on. An Qisheng, who was stunned by Qin Lang (now Linyi, Shandong Province), thought that "peony was nameless at the beginning, so it was named after peony" (service training method). The earliest appearance of peony names can be traced back to the Han Dynasty. Peony has been recorded as a medicine in the medical bamboo slips of the early Eastern Han Dynasty unearthed in Wuwei, Gansu Province. In the Ming Dynasty, Li Shizhen described peony and its alias in detail. He thought that "peony is above the seducer. Although seeds grow on the roots, it is called peony (Compendium of Materia Medica). This may be a more accurate summary of the name of peony.

Trace the history of peony. It can be found that peony has entered the vision of ancestors in primitive society and is reflected in their daily necessities. Painted pottery pots unearthed in Lanzhou and Guanghe, Gansu, have patterns similar to single peony and many peonies drawn by primitive people in Neolithic age. However, "Peony is silent at the beginning, only medicine carries materia medica, but it is not the crown of flowers. Generally speaking, there are many inclined roads in Dan, Dan and Dan, which are no different from thorns. The natives all take this as their salary "(Ouyang Xiu's Luoyang Peony).

About the cultivation and appreciation of peony, before the Han Dynasty, there were few historical records, and later there were more and more. Song Yu Ruming's "Guqin Book" contains: "In the first year of Emperor Xiang, all kinds of valleys, palace pines and peonies. The emperor ordered tung to be planted in the clouds, and Wu radish to be planted in the garden peony. " Di Xiang was the fifth monarch in Xia Dynasty, when he planted peony in his back garden. As a result, peonies have been loved or planted in gardens for 4,000 years.

Luoyang is the main birthplace of peony. Mangshan, Jinping and Wanan Mountain around Luoyang in ancient times. Wild peony is widely distributed. The artificial cultivation of peony in Luoyang began in Sui Dynasty and flourished in Tang Dynasty, with the Northern Song Dynasty as the best. Later, with the transfer of political center and the destruction of famous gardens in Luoyang, the spread of peony centered on Heluo formed the prosperity of peony planting in Hangzhou, Chen Zhou (now Huaiyang, Henan), Tian Peng (Sichuan), Bozhou (Anhui), Sien (Guangxi), Cao Zhou (now Heze, Shandong), Linxia (Gansu), Yancheng and Wuxi, Jiangsu, and this spread was reflected in a series of accounts about peony planting.

Song Luyou's "Tian Peng Peony Spectrum" recorded not only Tian Peng peony, but also Luoyang peony. At the beginning, I wrote: "Peony is in Zhongzhou, and Luoyang is the first." Tell the status of Luoyang peony. It also tells the story of the descendants of Luoyang peony, "Chongning Zhong, Zhou, Zhang, Cai; Xuanhe Zhonghe Shishitan Shi Yang both tried to buy flowers from Luo Zhong. Natural flowers are scattered all over the world, and the production of flowers begins on the basis of flower picking. Everyone's good people try their best to raise flowers, and Tian Peng's flowers are crowned in the two rivers. " Song Huyuan's "Peony Tree" records that Pengzhou flower farmers take local monocotyledonous flowers as female parents and graft them with Luoyang Chiba flowers to cultivate famous products. "Take more monocotyledonous flowers and trees and pick them with chiba flowers. Chiba flower comes from Luo Jing, and the locals call it Jinghua. " Yuan Yaosui's Preface to Peony describes the author's six-tour peony in more than 30 years, and Luoyang peony is mentioned in many places. Peony cultivation in Wang Shimao's Miscellaneous Academy in Ming Dynasty is a summary of the author's personal cultivation in Lianyuan Garden, which has high value. He summarized the transplant of Luoyang peony to Jiangnan. "Peony originated in Zhongzhou, and Jiangyin people can take it with peony roots. There are many illusions today, and Yu Lian Garden is absolutely prosperous and is a state. " He also hoped that "when he bought the Huanglouzi in Zhongzhou, he would have no regrets all his life". These historical data show that Luoyang is the first peony cultivation center in China, and the facts are conclusive.

In addition, Chen Zhou Peony Story, Peony Spectrum and Cao Zhou Peony Spectrum not only describe the planting (including the techniques of flower grafting, planting and medicinal flowers), varieties and colors of peony, but also relate to the origin of local peony and Luoyang peony to some extent, showing the spread and influence of Luoyang peony. Today, Luoyang Peony has spread to Japan, Italy, Britain, Germany, France, America, Netherlands, South Africa, Australia and other countries. Have a far-reaching impact.