If you ask a Chinese flower shop owner, "Do you love Chinese traditional flower arrangement", the answer is definitely yes. But if you ask him whether he had learned traditional flower arrangement or what the concept of traditional flower arrangement is, he might shake his head blankly. As the origin of the oriental flower management art and the state-level intangible cultural heritage, Chinese traditional flower arrangement should have been blended into every Chinese floricultural artists' life, but why its popularity rate is not high? What is exactly the meaning of the traditional flower arrangement to China's flower industry? This unnoticed treasure had developed from nothing only for 40 years. The popularity rate of Chinese traditional flower arrangement on both sides of the Straitsis far lower than that of western commercial flower art, even in Taiwan the tradition is overshadowed by ikebana in Japan where also advocates self-cultivation. Why?
"Chinese traditional flower arrangement has a long history, which was even recorded in the Book of Songs more than 3000 years ago." This is what learners of traditional flower arrangement are most familiar with and proudest of.However, we can't ignore another fact that the theoretical system of traditional flower arrangement is not inherited from ancient times. Like pieces of buried treasures, scattered in a large number of classical literatures and paintings, patience and dedication are required for modern people to discover, organize and expose them to others. It only took cross-Straits volunteers less than 40 years to fulfill this mission. More importantly, most practices are individual spontaneous behavior, with far less support in research and extension in 500 years compared to Japanese Ikenobo of the same origin and Xihua which is gradually prosperous since the 18th century.
Sitting in front of reporter is Professor Huang Yongchuan aged nearly 70, gray haired.He was curator of Taiwan Museum of History before retirement, with one eye nearly blind due to long-term study of historical data. However, he still remains the same refined demeanor as 10 years ago when I first saw him in a flower expedition in Tianjin.
In the field of traditional Chinese flower arrangement, Huang Yongchuan is capable and famous enough to be written into the annals of history. He has dedicated himself to traditional flower arrangement for more than 30 years, initiated "Four Categories" of the traditional flower arrangement as a complete system for the first time in the form of, compiled a set of 15 standard teaching materials, and published dozens of important works such as Studies of the History of Chinese Flower Arrangement. He founded "China Floriculture Cultural and EducationalFoundation" in 1986 in Taiwan, currently with tens of thousands of members, and branches of floricultural classrooms in Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Hangzhou and other cities of the mainland. "Professor Huang Yongchuan has profound knowledge of traditional flower arrangement, his accomplishment in the field of art and history is of great help to his research on traditional flower arrangement", said Cai Zhongjuan, an outstanding Chinese flower arrangement artist who has deep friendship with Professor Huang Yongchuan. "We've drawn great inspiration from Taiwan's Cultural and Educational Foundationfor the meticulous and thorough study on the Chinese traditional flower arrangement", Wang Suizhi, master of Chinese flower arrangement art, Yuan Naifu, Shandong floricultural artist, and YuHong, Taizhou floricultural artistof Jiangsu compliment with one voice.
In Taiwan, Japanese ikebana was very popular in the 1980s, when Ikenobo branch encouraged members to make works with Taiwan's characteristics, so they used bamboo hat, straw rain cape, clogs as containers. After seeing that, Huang Yongchuan, then graduatefrom the Fine Arts Department of Taiwan Normal University, distributed to work in Taiwan Museum ofHistory, felt rather embarrassed. He believed that it was nevercounted as Chinese flower arrangement, which shall be perceived from connotation and core value. He also realized there were nearly 20 Japanese floricultural schools in Taiwan, together with a large number of Japanese teachers to promoting ikebana. "As a nation advocating the theory that man is an integral part of nature, the Chinese should have learned flower arrangement naturally, rather than follow Japanese ikebana. In fact, Japanese flower arrangement also develops gradually. Now we pick up the ready-made, instead of studying our own, as if the Han People wearing Kimono wandering around streets", said Huang Yongchuan.
Huang Yongchuan, with passion for traditional painting and calligraphy collection, has found out images and description of flower arrangement among those works. By reading classical masterpiece History of Bottles, he was deeply touched by the elegant taste and cultural connotation of flower arrangement inside. "Chinese traditional flower arrangement should be set up and develop strong enough to compete with Japanese and western floriculture. There are a third of containers in the Palace Museumfor arranging flowers. I can't ignore it, by pretending it never existed. I shouldmake discoveries bravely." Therefore, with a high sense of responsibility as a Chinese, he has dedicated himself to the research on flower arrangement.
In his research, important bibliographies recording classical Chinese flower arrangement are classified as "Frame", while classic novels depicting daily life belong to "Content". His desk is always covered with related materials. Taking ancient painting as an example, he has studied up to 500 pieces over the years. "It is rather difficult to get theoretical system from ancient books, let alone to quote copiously from large amount of poetry, paintings and calligraphy." The process seems like writing a history book, during which there are gaps, and also space for imagination. The content of Studies of the History of Chinese Flower Arrangement has yet to be perfect, so has Ancient Art of Chinese Flower Arrangement, which is in need of other material for fill in the gaps for further study. But if there is no one willing to do it, no progress would be made, forever." When it comes to the research process, the characteristics of preciseness and persistence in this traditional intellectual impress us a lot.He always works until 3 a.m. every day and lectures flower arrangement from place to place. As he said to the reporter, once he finished lecture in Kaohsiung on Saturday, and moved to Taichung the next day. Due to overtiredness, he fell asleep on the bus, and then suddenly woke up hearing that Chiayi (his hometown) had arrived. Feeling so familiar that he rushed to get off carrying the luggage, only to realize the mistake at the check-in office, and hehad to return back waiting for the next bus. Such extreme fatigue makes him have liver disease, nearly at the cost of his life.
"I'm a historian on flower arrangement and an artist of Chinese Painting & Calligraphy, instead of an artist of arranging flowers", which is Huang Yongchuan's self-positioning. In mainland China,Professor Wang Lian-ying from School of Gardening in Beijing Forestry University is also reviving traditional flower arrangement from nothing, little by little. In 1987 when she was lecturing flower arrangement in Beijing, she realized that although the theories on traditional Chinese flower arrangement scattered in ancient books such as History of Bottles, and Manual of Vase Flowers are profound, the current teaching contents with Chinese characteristic are nearly blank. With a strong sense of responsibility to carry forward the traditional culture, she has dedicated herself to the study of traditional flower arrangement in her spare time. Under the joint efforts of her and other members of Beijing Flower Arrangement Art Association, the Chinese traditional flower arrangement is organized and promoted in the form of "Six MajorFlower Containers" in the mainland, which has been the mainstream learning content of the traditional flower arrangement in the mainland until today.
"China Floriculture Cultural and Educational Foundation" in Taiwan, "Flower ArrangementArt Association" in the mainland, "Shanghai Flower Arrangement Floriculture Association" and "Guangzhou Flower Arrangement Art Institute", have made outstanding contributions in the inheritance of Chinese traditional flower arrangement over the years. But we should also realize that the theoretical system of traditional flower arrangement in time remains to be perfected due to the limitation of time and human resources. Under the prevailing of western commercial floriculture, and the lack of teaching organizations, Chinese traditional flower arrangement is doomed not to attract flower shop owners to study on a large scalein a short time.
