Page 137 - A Dictionary of Chinese Symbols BIG Book

A Dictionary of Chinese Symbols 130

A branch of plum-blossom – harbinger of the spring

The slogan ‘Let a hundred flowers bloom’, which became celebrated in the Mao Ze-
dong era, goes back to the very earliest Chinese sources. In the ‘Book of Odes’ we find
the following description of the preparation of a bridal chamber:

I strewed lotus leaves on its roof, gladioli on the walls and mountain
orchids. Pepper plants smell sweet in the courtyard, the beams are of
cinnamon wood, there are mussels on the walls, the gateway is of
magnolias, peonies on the roof-ridge, many-coloured lianas are woven
together to make a curtain. A carpet of basil covers the floor, the mats are

weighed down with white jade. The mountain orchid spreads its fragrance,
hazel twines among the lotus, mixes with iris and splendid lilies: a
hundred flowers bloom in the garden.

Flower vases as ornaments along garden walls