Lotus is called "living fossil" and is one of the earliest plants in angiosperms.

Before humans appeared, about 104500 years ago, most of the earth was covered by oceans, lakes and swamps. At that time, the climate was bad, disasters were frequent, there were no animals, most plants were eliminated, and only a few wild plants with strong vitality grew on this barren land. Among them, there is an aquatic plant that we call "Lotus" today, which has withstood the test of nature and stubbornly survived in amur river (now Heilongjiang), the Yellow River, the Yangtze River basin and the swamp lakes in the northern hemisphere. About 9,000 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", a food source for human survival, was deeply imprinted in the hearts of our 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 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 paste flower culture in China.

Two. The formation of Dutch culture-Lotus culture from the Western Zhou Dynasty to the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period began in the 20th century BC, and China entered the feudal era from the long slave society-the Western Zhou Dynasty. 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. The earliest dictionary in China, Erya in the early Han Dynasty, records: "Lotus, lotus, its stem eggplant, its leaves, its original density, its painting lotus, actually lotus, its root lotus, among which lotus seeds are lotus seeds." 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, describes lotus flowers: "There are Fu Su, Ji and Lotus flowers in the mountains." "Where there is a vicious, there is a lotus." Lotus was introduced as an ornamental plant and planted in the garden pond. It was first built in 473 BC by Fu Cha, King of Wu, in his detached palace (now Lingyan Mountain in Suzhou) to pay tribute to his beloved princess. 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 played by lotus in the spirit of the times from the artistic aspect. This craft treasure is made of real and natural materials, and the lotus pattern summarizes the image, and the dragon and the fly leap. 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.

Three. The Development of Dutch Culture —— Lotus Culture from Qin and Han Dynasties to Southern and Northern Dynasties

Before the Qin and Han Dynasties, warlords were separated, wars were frequent, and working life was 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. During the Southern and Northern Dynasties, there were thousands of lotus petals. 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 greatly improved the cultivation techniques 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. Since Qin and Han Dynasties, China medicine has started a new development. 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 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 the abdomen and back to sew up the wound, and finally applied a plaster made of lotus root skin, which could be cured 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, the Lotus Picking Song (also known as the Lotus Picker and the Lotus Picker by the Lake) is one of the most popular traditional folk songs and dances in China.

Four. The Prosperity of Dutch Culture from Sui and Tang Dynasties to Ming and Qing Dynasties —— Lotus Culture

After the 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 the history of artistic painting in China, the fine lotus flowers are even more colorful. The most famous is "Lotus Out of the Water" by Wu Bing of the Southern Song Dynasty Painting Academy, which vividly and delicately depicts the fresh and refined style of lotus. There is also the Lotus and Mandarin Duck Picture by Zhang Zizheng, a painter in the late Ming Dynasty.

Verb (abbreviation of verb) The Prosperity of Dutch Culture-Modern Lotus Culture

Since the Opium War, especially after the founding of New China, the working people have been masters of their own affairs. Lotus has also become a precious flower to beautify people's lives and cultivate their sentiments, and is known as one of the top ten famous flowers. Dr. Sun Yat-sen and Premier Zhou Enlai have repeatedly advocated vigorously developing Dutch culture and spreading the seeds of friendship to friendly neighbors. 19 18, Dr. Sun Yat-sen traveled to Japan and brought nine lotus seeds unearthed in Pulaidian, Liaodong Peninsula. After careful cultivation, the ancient lotus seeds were planted successfully. 1963, Yamato presented one hundred seeds of Yamato lotus to Guo Moruo, president of China Academy of Sciences. 1In April, 979, when Vice Chairman Deng visited the Nara Tang Temple, which he presided over, Elder Morimoto gave Vice Chairman Deng the lotus roots of Tang Temple Lotus, Sun Wenlian and Sino-Japanese Friendship Lotus cultivated by experts from China and Japan.