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Don’t miss plum blossom art and real blossoms
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One hundred and eighty-eight Chinese ink paintings and pieces of pottery decorated with plum blossoms are on display in Hangzhou Museum through March 15, corresponding to the appearance of blooming plum flowers.
Half of the paintings were donated by Gao Yehou’s offspring. Some 90 percent of the exhibits have come to public eye for the first time.
Gao (1878-1952) was a Hangzhou native and a noted painter, calligrapher and art collector. Like many Chinese literati, he was a great admirer of plum blossoms. In their eyes, plum blossoms symbolized strength, resilience and perseverance since they appeared amidst the winter chill that other flowers could not survive.
Out of deep love for plum blossoms, Gao spent his whole life collecting ink paintings focused on the theme, ranging from works of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) to the Republic of China (1911-1949). He named his house on Yongfeng Lane “Plum Blossom Pavilion,” and today it is listed as a Hangzhou protected relic.
In 1984, Gao’s descendants contributed his collected plum blossom paintings, including Gao’s own drawings, to Hangzhou’s government. Thanks to the donation, now people can enjoy the ancients’ elegant works depicting the beauty of plum blossoms.
Since ancient times, drawing plum blossoms has been a way to express painters’ willingness to bear hardships since the flower epitomizes the brave and dauntless spirit of Chinese culture.
Fans were the most common medium used by painters, as is shown by the exhibits. In olden times, the importance of fans for male literati was akin to hairpins for women.
Every ink painting on exhibition is generally comprised of two parts, namely branches of flourishing plum flowers and lines of poetry praising its noble characteristics.
Highlights of the exhibition include the works of Feng Zikai and Jin Nong and a dozen potteries.
Feng (1898-1975) was the most influential contemporary caricaturist, who used Chinese ink and traditional painting style to create famous caricatures.
The renowned Feng Zikai Chinese Children’s Picture Book Award, a biannual award aimed at promoting original, quality Chinese children’s books from authors, illustrators and publishers, was named after this great painter.
Paintings presenting the blooming plum blossom on West Lake were created by Jin, since he once spent years living in Hangzhou.
Jin (1687-1763) was one of the famous “eight Yangzhou weirdos,” which refer to eight Yangzhou painters who shared the same painting school (since they were addicted to painting and refused to become court officials, people thought they were odd) and lived in Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).
The pottery on display was made in Yixing, Jiangsu Province, the birthplace of zisha hu, literally purple clay pot. They were modern works created by Yixing local craftsmen and engraved with branches of plum blossoms.
In order to decorate the exhibition hall in accordance with the theme, organizers hung Chinese lanterns painted with plum blossoms from the ceiling and brought in a couple of plum trees to liven up the space.
Places for plum blossom viewing
The exhibition also carved out a space to display photos of the traditional places for plum blossom viewing. They are, as follows:
¥ Lingfeng Peak
During the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period (AD 907-979), the court built Lingfeng Temple on the mountaintop with hundreds of plum trees surrounding it. But over many years, the temple fell into disrepair and the trees died.
In the 1980s, Hangzhou government rebuilt several temple structures and planted 5,000 plum trees to restore the original environment of the mountain. Today, the plum trees flourish and are waiting for people to come and enjoy them.
¥ Chaoshan Mountain
Chaoshan Mountain in northeast Hangzhou is an ideal place to view plum blossoms in the region south of the Yangtze River. Years ago, local government enlarged and renovated the plum tree scenic area, planting thousands of plum trees, turning it a popular spot among sightseers.
The plum trees on Chaoshan Mountain are famous for their striking shapes, and the mountain is the home to two ancient plum trees: Tangmei, planted in the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907), and Songmei, planted in the Song Dynasty (960-1279).
¥ Solitary Hill
During the Qing Dynasty, famous poet Lin Bu lived a solitary life, spending his spare time cultivating plum trees Ñ leading it to be said that he had taken them as his wife. The plum trees growing here cover many rare breeds.Ê
¥ Xixi Wetland
The wetland boasts 66,667 square meters of plum trees Ñ including pink and red plum, which create a vibrant show at this time of year. Activities like traditional opera shows and tea ceremony performances are held through March 15 except for Monday.
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