First, named after the appearance: Lotus: Li Shizhen's Compendium of Materia Medica explains: "Lotus stems carry leaves, leaves carry flowers, hence the name." Hibiscus: Also known as Hibiscus. The Chinese dictionary Erya explains: "Lotus contains Pupu." Another book, Shuo Wen Jie Zi, said, "It's not lotus, it's hibiscus." Li Shizhen also said that the hibiscus flower means "to dress up brilliantly", so it is no wonder that Sima Xiangru, a writer in the Han Dynasty, compared his wife Zhuo Wenjun to the hibiscus flower of water.
2. Named after their growth habits: Shuizhi, Huashui, Yunshui, Shuidan, Shui Mu and Zezhi: Because lotus is a perennial aquatic plant, the ancients classified it as a kind of aquatic plant, and most of them were named after the word "water". Cao Zhi, a litterateur of the Three Kingdoms, praised "a hundred flowers blossom, and there is no flower soul" in the Lotus Fu, and compared the lotus to Ganoderma lucidum in the water.
Third, named after the holy and elegant temperament of lotus: Junzihua, Ling Boxian, Shuigongxian, Yuhuan, etc. According to "The Tale of the North Dream", Su Changyuan lived in Wuzhong (present-day Suzhou) during Tang Chaoyuan and his reign (806-820), met a pink-faced girl from plain clothes and gave him a jade ring. Soon, he found that there was a blooming lotus flower in the pool of his yard, and there was also a Yuhuan in the stamen, but it was "broken" and later generations called it Yuhuan.
Fourthly, in ancient Jiangnan customs, the 24th of June in the lunar calendar is the birthday of the lotus, so the lotus is nicknamed "June Flower God".
5. In order to express appreciation of the noble and pure form of lotus, Jin Furong and grass hibiscus are used to compare the rare nature of lotus.
Sixthly, Xike and Jingke emphasize the growth environment of lotus and the quiet and refined realm. Cui Qian is another name for Xinlian, Red is another name for Lotus Petals, Gonglian is another name for Lotus Petals, and Buddha must be another name for Lianrui. Lotus is called "living fossil" and is one of the earliest plants in angiosperms. Before the appearance of human beings, about 10 million years ago, most of the earth was covered by oceans, lakes and swamps. At that time, the climate was warm and humid, and ferns as high as tens of meters were all over the earth. Most seed plants can't survive, and only a few seed plants with strong vitality grow on this earth dominated by dinosaurs and ferns. Among them, there is an aquatic plant called "Lotus" today, which has withstood the test of nature and tenaciously survived in amur river (now Heilongjiang), Yellow River, Yangtze River basin in China and swamp lakes in the northern hemisphere. About 100 million years later, primitive humans began to appear. In order to survive, human beings collect wild fruits to satisfy their hunger, and soon find that the wild fruits and root nodes of this "lotus" (namely lotus seeds and lotus roots) are not only edible, but also sweet and delicious. Gradually, "lotus", the food source on which human beings depend for survival, was deeply imprinted in the hearts of people's ancestors, primitive humans, and became a symbol of human survival.
Until the Neolithic Age in 56000 BC, with the emergence of farming culture, human beings began to learn more about lotus. At that time, in order to meet the water demand of life, human beings generally settled in river banks and lakes or swamps with natural springs, and these areas were just the main distribution areas of wild lotus. From the unearthed cultural relics, it is found that there are carbonized wheat grains and two lotus seeds on the indoor table in the site of Yangshao Culture excavated in Beidahe Village, Zhengzhou City, Henan Province, which has a history of 5000 years. In the continuous productive labor, human beings have accumulated rich perceptual knowledge about the growth habits and living environment of lotus, which laid a good foundation for the emergence and development of ancient lotus culture in China.
Professor Ren Xu, a paleobotanist, discovered lotus leaf fossils in Qaidam Basin in 1970s, at least 654.38 million years ago. 1973, the pollen fossil of lotus was found in the cultural relics unearthed from Hemudu cultural site 7000 years ago in Yuyao County, Zhejiang Province. In the same year, two carbonized lotus seeds were found in Yangshao cultural site in Zhengzhou City, Henan Province more than 5,000 years ago. In the early Western Zhou Dynasty (2nd century BC), the ancients ate about 40 kinds of vegetables, and lotus root was one of them. There is a saying in The Valley Classic, "Iowa in the gills", which means that as long as there are marshes on the land of China, there are lotus flowers growing. China is one of the countries that grow the most lotus flowers in the world.
From 1 1 century BC, China entered the feudal era-the Western Zhou Dynasty from a long slave society. Lotus also entered people's field ponds from the wild state of lakes and swamps during this period. "Zhou Shu" contains "Qi Ze has been exhausted, and the lotus root has been dug." It can be seen that the wild lotus at that time had begun to be used as an edible vegetable. During the Spring and Autumn Period, people gave proper nouns to various organs of lotus. Erya, the earliest dictionary in China in the early Han Dynasty, records: "Lotus, lotus, its stem eggplant, its leaves, its original density, its painting Han, actually lotus, its root lotus, of which Yi Yi." The understanding of lotus has a certain concept.
Lotus has entered people's work and life with its practicality, and at the same time it has penetrated into people's spiritual world with its gorgeous colors and elegant charm. The earliest collection of poems in China, The Book of Songs, described lotus flowers as "flowers in the mountains, Ji and Lian" and "flowers in the opposite direction". Lotus was introduced as an ornamental plant and planted in the garden pond. It was first built in 473 BC, and was built by Fu Cha, the king of Wu, in his detached palace (namely Lingyan Mountain in Suzhou) for his beloved concubine to enjoy the lotus. The bronze craft treasure "Lotus Crane Square Pot" in the Spring and Autumn Period (Gao 1 18 cm in the Palace Museum) reflects the important role of lotus in the spirit of the times from the artistic aspect. This craft treasure is based on the real nature, and the lotus pattern summarizes the images of dragons and flies. It can be seen that the lotus flower, like the deified dragon, mantis and crane, has become a symbol of lofty holiness in people's minds.
Before the Qin and Han Dynasties, the feudal regime was divided, wars were frequent, and the working people were in dire straits. Qin Shihuang unified China in 22 1 BC, ending the melee. In this unified empire, lotus culture has been fully developed and gradually penetrated into agriculture, economy, medicine, religion, art and other fields.
The Han Dynasty was an unprecedented period of agricultural development in China, which also played an important role in the cultivation and development of lotus. Before the Han Dynasty, all lotus varieties in China were single-petaled red lotus. During the Wei and Jin Dynasties, the double petal lotus appeared.
Since the Western Han Dynasty, China's official and private businesses have developed rapidly, enriching the types of goods in various regions, which is of great significance to the spread and distribution of lotus flowers. Lotus root, a specialty of Jiangling, Hefei, Chengdu and other places, entered the north through these central markets, which fundamentally expanded the distribution area of lotus, made the people in the north know more about lotus, and thus greatly improved the cultivation technology of lotus. In the Book of Qi Yao Min written by Jia Sixie in the Northern Wei Dynasty, there is a "method of planting lotus roots": "In the early spring, lotus roots are dug and planted in the mud of fish ponds, and then there are lotus flowers." ; There is also a method of "planting lotus seeds": "On August 9th, if the lotus seeds are hard and black, grind the shower heads on the tiles to make the skin thin, and seal them with cooked mud, such as three fingers long and two inches long, so that the shower heads are sharpened, and the mud is dried and thrown under the heavy mud in the pool. The skin is naturally thin and easy to grow, and it will come out soon. If you don't grind, the skin will be hard and thick. It can be seen that the cultivation techniques of lotus on both sides of the Central Plains were quite superb at that time.
China's medicine started a new development from the Qin and Han Dynasties. After tasting all kinds of herbs, Shennong in Han Dynasty summed up a set of good prescriptions for treating diseases, namely "Herbal Classic", also known as Shennong's "Herbal Classic", which described the medicinal and health care functions of lotus root. Hua Tuo, a native of Qiaoxian County in the Eastern Han Dynasty, was a famous imperial doctor in the medical history of China. Before the operation, he first gave the patient Mafeisan to make him unconscious, cut his abdomen and back, and sewed up the wound. Finally, he applied a plaster made of lotus root skin and recovered in four or five days. Lotus has become a wonderful flower in China's medical treasure house.
During the Western Han Dynasty, Yuefu songs gradually became popular, resulting in many beautiful lotus picking songs. Among them, "Lotus Picking Song" (also known as "Lotus Picker" and "Lotus Picker by the Lake") is one of the most popular traditional folk songs and dances in China, with dancers dressed in red and faint skirts, taking a lotus boat and holding lotus flowers, singing and dancing.
During the Southern and Northern Dynasties, there were thousands of lotus petals.
After Sui and Tang Dynasties, the cultivation techniques of lotus were further improved, and the cultural contents of lotus such as poetry, painting, sculpture and handicrafts were more colorful. In food culture, lotus has further become a valuable tonic for people's health care. At the same time, lotus has entered private gardens with its colorful and elegant appearance. For example, in the southeast corner outside Chang 'an, there was Yichun Garden in Qin and Han Dynasties, and it was renamed Furong Garden after the Sui Dynasty established Chang 'an as its capital. The Wind and Lotus in the Qu Yuan of Lin 'an (now Hangzhou), the capital of the Southern Song Dynasty. Especially after the rule of Zhenguan, the application of lotus became more and more extensive and became the source of inspiration for arts and crafts artists. For example, porcelain and bronze mirrors in the Sui and Tang Dynasties were decorated with lotus patterns. Gold and silver vessels, especially the rim, are decorated with rich lotus petals, and the overall style is gorgeous and true. The dyeing and weaving industry in Song Dynasty has a higher development than that in Tang Dynasty. The lotus silk pattern "quaint" created by Kerou Zhu, a famous female painter and silk worker, is a masterpiece. Woodblock New Year pictures in the Ming and Qing Dynasties often use auspicious lotus patterns such as "Lotus (your son)" and "Lotus (fish) over many years old" to express people's thoughts and wishes. In China's flower culture, lotus is the most interesting object of flower-chanting poems and the subject of flower-and-bird painting. It is the most beautiful and colorful dance material; It is also the most commonly used and beautiful pattern and shape in various architectural decoration, sculpture techniques and daily necessities. Lotus is a famous traditional flower in China.
Since Zhou Dunyi wrote a famous sentence, "The lotus has become a" gentleman's flower ". According to historical records, more than 2,500 years ago, Fu Cha, the king of Wu, left his palace in Lingyan Mountain (now Wuxian County, Jiangsu Province) on the coast of Taihu Lake to enjoy the lotus flowers for his beloved concubine, so he specially built a "flower pond" and transplanted wild red lotus. It can be said that it is the earliest record of artificial pond planting. Today, lotus ponds abound in the north and south. Hunan is the largest lotus production base in China. Every midsummer, men and women who pick lotus swim among the lotus plants in canoes. What a wonderful scene "no one is seen in the pool until you hear the song". There are more places to visit and enjoy the lotus. For example, Daming Lake in Jinan, West Lake in Hangzhou and Qixingyan in Zhaoqing can all see the beautiful scenery of contiguous lotus flowers.