A brief introduction of Orchid Culture in Shanghai

Author: Red Furnace Snow

Shanghai in the Spring and Autumn period for the vassal state of Wu, surnamed Ji, the Warring States period for the Chu Chunshen Jun fief, began to build the city,"Shencheng" is also another name for Shanghai now. "Three thousand guests under Chunshen", the tradition of accepting hundreds of rivers, seems not accidental, the Warring States period has been branded with the character of Shanghai culture.

Culture, the definition of five changes eight doors, there is one point can be clear, must be a * person's life style. From this point of view, Shanghai orchid culture is Shanghai history and orchid related people, their flying red snow mud.

From 1666 when Fengqiaomei was selected in Shanghai, we can observe the history of orchid culture activities of Shanghai Orchid People in different historical time and space from agricultural civilization to industrial civilization and towards modern civilization. We can clearly see the great influence of politics and economy on orchid culture, and the attitude towards life and value realization expressed by Shanghai Orchid People in the social agitation and change.

1, Qing Kangxi 1662---Opium War 1840

During this period, China experienced the "Kangxi and Qianlong Prosperity". When the empire was at ease in the agricultural civilization, the British industrial revolution had deeply influenced Europe, and the distant East was on the eve of unprecedented shocks.

During this period, Shanghai selected flowers: Fengqiao Mei, Shanghai Mei, Songjiang Dahe. Sanhuai Tang Xian, Xiao Zi Xian, Xian Lu, Song Jiang Da Pei, Ye He Xian Su, Wu Dou Mei, He Zi Mei, Hua He Su.

We can see in the book that the Shanghai class that bred orchids was "selling cotton seeds,""boat travel,""lacquer shop,""reference number," etc. Even the "Sanhuai Hall" brothel also selected Sanhuai Hall immortals. These classes could not be regarded as poor at that time. It can be seen that orchids had been endowed with great commercial value at that time. Besides fragrant grass and beauty, what else were the three religions and nine streams keen on? From these background information, we believe that Shanghai was already quite prosperous in the early Qing Dynasty. The so-called shops and restaurants were numerous, and it had long been known as a famous city in the southeast,"Su Song tax half the world". If there is no developed economy, Qing Qianlong years, Shanghai Yuyuan do Lan exhibition. How did it last for nearly 200 years until the outbreak of the War of Resistance?

2. After the Opium War 1840---Republic of China 1949

After the First Opium War, according to the Treaty of Nanjing signed between China and Britain in 1842, Shanghai was established as one of the five foreign trade ports in 1843. Later, the United States and France also established concessions in Shanghai one after another. At that time, Shanghai was regarded as a "paradise for adventurers" and entered the 10-mile foreign market era. Because the concessions provided citizens with a relatively free and safe environment free from government, warlords and war, and as a free trade port, All kinds of national industries in Shanghai have developed rapidly.

During this period Shanghai bred:

Spring Orchid: Sister Plum, Spring Yipin Immortal, Spring Yipin, Cui Peach, Lian Creek Plum, Tongle (Colorful Cloud Tongle Plum), Wushuang Plum, Chengmei, Shengan Plum, Huanqiu Lotus Ding, Hehe, Yuhuan Plum, Shengzi, Xiaocui Lotus, Cuihe, Xianhe, Dafugui.

The Qur 'an says: "O Muhammad! O Muhammad! O Muhammad!

We can see that in the past 100 years, the number of flowers selected is obviously more than that of the previous 200 years, and the breeding of spring orchid has also received attention from enthusiasts. the social stratum of orchid selection was completely different from that of the early qing dynasty, with rich and idle people with culture, such as lawyers, compradors, doctors, publishers, entrepreneurs, etc. occupying the orchid stage.

Orchid publishing at this stage is also unprecedented prosperity, Liu Nan's "Orchid Spectrum", Qingfen room owner's "Secret of Art Orchid"

The Secret Book of Lan Hui by World Publishing House, Wu Enyuan, Tang Tuo's Little History of Lan Hui, etc.

Important orchid events: Shuangqing Villa (known as Xu Garden) opened in the ninth year of Guangxu (1883), and then held the Orchid Festival in February and March of the lunar calendar every year, lasting until the end of the 1920s.

All these constitute a modern industrial civilization of orchid life map, the development of orchid culture has obviously been supported by industrial civilization, now Shanghai will be called this period of industrial development "Suzhou River civilization," Suzhou River is the cradle of Shanghai's national industry and education, once an important birthplace of China's national industry. It is precisely because of the progress of industrial civilization that Shanghai orchids at this time have obvious characteristics different from other orchids in other regions. They leave red purple ink of Chinese culture in the modern lifestyle, and in the rich coffee fragrance, people think of the dilution of tea. They give orchids a kind of elegance, wealth and status symbol, and inject new cultural life into orchids.

3. Founding of the People's Republic of China 1949-1987

After the founding of the People's Republic of China, influenced by political factors, the commodity attribute of orchids no longer exists, and the elements that edify one's temperament are also included in the bourgeois culture and criticized. Under the red wave, individual orchids are almost extinct.

bai chiao, a famous calligrapher and painter on the sea, once wrote an interesting story about hiding him under his bed."you can see that the wind was very tight at that time. In 1959, Mr. Liu Hanlin, Chairman of Zhengtai Rubber, a famous entrepreneur, presented 182 pots of 70 varieties of spring orchids to Shanghai Longhua Nursery (predecessor of Shanghai Botanical Garden), and presented 22 famous spring orchids to Suzhou City Garden Management Office in October 1965. Liu Lao's behavior was the standard version of individual aphasia in this era, but it laid the foundation for the opening of the Orchid Room of Shanghai Botanical Garden, one of the three famous gardens in Jiangnan, China. From a sociological point of view, this donation makes Mr. Liu an immortal legend in the blue world, and his demeanor of falling into the long river makes people chase endless.

In 1965, Shanghai Botanical Garden established Orchid Room, Zhu De successively came here four times. And Zhu boss in the Cultural Revolution because Yanglan was criticized. Nationalist culture restricts all aspects of individual life, and the spirit of individual freedom is completely under the national authoritative culture.

During the Cultural Revolution, the Orchid Room of Shanghai Botanical Garden was destroyed.

4, 1987-present

A scorched land, spring and green. After the Cultural Revolution, with the deepening of reform and opening up, orchids began to be sought after as a special commodity. Due to the rapid development of Jiangsu and Zhejiang economies, Shanghai did not take the lead in orchids in China, but Shanghai still played a role in the development of orchids in China. Here, we should especially mention the important influence of Shen Xuebao in the Orchid Room of Shanghai Botanical Garden. After the reform and opening up, many extinct old orchids in China were introduced from Japan through the Orchid Room of Shanghai Botanical Garden, and then scattered in the orchids in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces. They opened branches and scattered leaves, which was really appreciated. The orchid friendship between him and his Japanese friend Matsumura has always been a good story in the orchid community. Now, the orchid room twice a year open to the outside world spring, cold orchid exhibition, has persisted for more than 10 years, this kind of popular orchid culture work for ordinary lovers, has a very good social significance.

In 1993, Dai Xianqin opened an art appreciation hall on Jiangyin Road in Shanghai, which was the first specialty store in Shanghai history to operate orchids. In 1993, Ding Baoquan set up a counter in Shanghai Flower and Bird Market on Nanjing West Road to manage Jianlan varieties. In 1996, Dai Xianqin, Wu Zhiqian, Wu Zhifeng and Wang Yongmao jointly organized the Shanghai Orchid and Strange Stone Exhibition with Shanghai Jingwen Company. Chen Muhua, Vice Premier of the State Council, Gong Xueping, Vice Mayor of Shanghai City, and a group of veteran army cadres came to visit. Calligrapher and painter Xu Ang launched his orchid album. In 2000, the Japanese opened the first orchid shop in Shanghai, China,"Orchid Garden" In 2001, Dai Xianqin, Wu Zhiqian and ten Lanyou held the first commercial operation of "Shanghai Folk Rare Species Orchid Exhibition" after obtaining approval from Shanghai Lujiazui City Administration. Shanghai Luwan District Lan Association was established in 2002. July 2003, Orchid Branch of Shanghai City Flower Association was established and published Orchid Rhyme on the Sea. In 2004, Shanghai Orchid Association held the first joint exhibition of Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai spring orchids in Guilin Park. In December 2007, Orchid Professional Committee of Shanghai City Agricultural Society was established, and Shanghai has a professional orchid production, learning and research group. In 2009, Shanghai Orchid Professional Committee and Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences undertook the subject of "Production Technical Standard and Quality Standard of Spring, Lily and Cold in China" issued by Shanghai City Science Committee, and completed a series of basic work for scientific orchid cultivation. Water quality data, matrix. Fertilizer formula, pest control, orchid growth monitoring, orchid quality classification and other aspects, has achieved complete scientific research results. The "Orchid and Culture Series Activities" of Confucius Temple in Shanghai in 2009 and the 7th Orchid Exhibition of Shanghai City in Guyi Garden in 2010 were large-scale city-level orchid cultural activities organized by Lanzhou Special Committee, which were widely reported by municipal TV, radio and newspapers, attracting the participation of the general public.

At present, the Orchid Culture Society in Pudong District of Shanghai is the most active group in carrying out ** orchid activities, with more than 400 members. Every year, it holds an orchid exhibition in the community and has done a lot of practical work in the popularization of orchids. For example, the orchid characteristic demonstration activity of Huinan Town Library has been commended by the propaganda department of Shanghai City and has become a district-level characteristic library.

Foreign exchanges, always open the atmosphere first, in the appreciation of Chinese cold orchid interest, Shanghai Zhu Yuzhou can be regarded as a leader, he in most of the orchid friends are still unfamiliar with cold orchid, launched and Japanese cold orchid exchange activities, introduced Japanese evaluation of cold orchid standards, after several years of efforts, China has basically recognized cold orchid appreciation is different from the traditional spring cymbidium, but its own point of view.

In the past twenty years, the orchids bred by Shanghai orchids community have not been well counted and the data are scarce. I only select the widely circulated ones: "Su 18" selected by Shen Xinbao and Dai Xianqin, and "Dai". Wang Dongfang's "Red Rhyme", Ding Puyuan's "Mei Bao","Xue Die", Zhu Kefu's "Zhu Shi Jiu Qi","Ju Die", etc. As a Shanghai orchid sector flowers a leaf.

Today, Shanghai orchid cultivation, almost all social strata, the development of modern society for Shanghai orchid activities to provide a large enough space, Shanghai is tolerant of a large number of orchid operators from all over the country to open a garden in Shanghai home, famous as Fujian Liancheng orchid. Most of the local orchid friends still focus on enjoying and using orchids to express the meaning of their own individual existence, such as loving to fight orchids to cultivate skills, loving to touch leaves and distinguish flowers, picking flowers and buds in the grass down the mountain to gamble on fine flowers, comparing eyesight, a bit of antique line detection meaning, Shen Xinbao also has a special treatise "Orchid and Mirror," which can be called "Nine Yang True Sutra" of picking flowers in the orchid world.

Shanghai orchids present both a part of the appropriate time orchids lively, but also a part of the lovers hidden good old, like dragonflies red and green dots to the center of the lake, have their own circle ripples, refraction colorful.

I believe that the future development direction of orchid cultivation is: some powerful and elegant orchid lovers will perfect the traditional spiritual realm of orchid cultivation, and orchid cultivation will become a symbol for understanding Chinese traditional culture and expressing Chinese people's attitude towards life.