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Trees In Chinese Mythology And Cultural Symbology
Trees in Chinese mythology and culture tend to range from more-or-less mythological such as the Fusang tree and the Peaches of Immortality cultivated by Xi Wangmu to mythological attributions to such well-known trees, such as the pine, the cypress, the plum and other types of prunus, the jujube, the cassia, and certain as yet unidentified trees. Mythological ideas about trees also extends to various types of fungi which lived or were thought to live underneath certain of these trees, collecting their mysterious essences. Pine, cypress, and fir The pine, cypress, and fir are linked by being similar evergreens. Old pine trees are much admired and venerated. Some examples of Chinese cultural symbology can be found in the poetry of Six Dynasties poet Tao Yuanming (365?–427). According to Yeh Chia-ying, one of Tao's most frequently used metaphors is that of the pine tree: symbol of ability to withstand the adversity of cold winds, to withstand the adversity of frosts, nevertheless ret ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fusang
Fusang is a mythical world tree or place located far east of China. In the ''Classic of Mountains and Seas'' and several contemporary texts, the term refers to a mythological tree of life, alternatively identified as a mulberry or a hibiscus, allegedly growing far to the east of China, and perhaps to various more concrete territories which are located to the east of the mainland. A country which was named Fusang was described by the native Buddhist missionary Huishen (, ''Huìshēn''), also variously romanized as Hui Shen, Hoei-sin, and Hwai Shan. In his record dated to AD 499 during China's Northern and Southern dynastic period, he describes Fusang as a place which is located 20,000 Chinese '' li'' to the east of Dahan, and it is also located to the east of China (according to Joseph Needham, Dahan corresponds to the Buriat region of Siberia). Huishen arrived in China from Kabul in 450 AD and went by ship to Fusang in 458 AD, and upon his return in 499 reported his findings to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Three Friends Of Winter
The Three Friends of Winter is an art motif that comprises the pine, bamboo, and plum. The Chinese celebrated the pine (松), bamboo (竹) and Chinese flowering plum (梅) together, for they observed that unlike many other plants these plants do not wither as the cold days deepen into the winter season. Known by the Chinese as the ''Three Friends of Winter'', they later entered the conventions of Korean, Japanese, and Vietnamese culture. Together they symbolize steadfastness, perseverance, and resilience. They are highly regarded in Confucianism as representing its scholar-gentleman ideal. History The Three Friends of Winter are common in works of art from Chinese culture and those cultures influenced by it. The three are first recorded as appearing together in a ninth-century poem by the poet Zhu Qingyu () of the Tang dynasty. Artists such as Zhao Mengjian (, c. 1199–1264) of the Southern Song dynasty and other contemporaries later made this grouping popular in paint ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yu Shi
Yu Shi () is a Chinese spirit or god of rain, also known as or conflated with Red Pine (Chisong, , or Chisongzi – Master Red Pine), among other names. Translations of ''Yu Shi'' into English include "Lord of Rain" and "Leader of Rain". As Yu Shi Yu Shi in Chinese folk religion and Chinese mythology generally appears in association with Feng Bo, the god of the wind; and Lei Gong, the god of thunder. There are both current religious activities and historical mythical stories associated with Yu Shi. Various references in poetry and popular culture also exist, for example in the ''Chu ci'' poems " Tian Wen" and " Yuan You". His consort is Yu Shiqie (). As Chisongzi According to certain versions, a certain Chisongzi () during the reign of Shennong ended a severe drought by sprinkling water from an earthen bowl and was rewarded by being made the Lord of Rain with a dwelling on the mythical Kunlun Mountain. In another form, Chi Songzi is depicted as a chrysalis of a silkworm who ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wolfiporia Extensa
''Wolfiporia'' is a genus of fungi in the family Polyporaceae. The genus was circumscribed by Leif Ryvarden and Robert Lee Gilbertson in 1984 to contain the type species ''Wolfiporia cocos'' (now known as '' Wolfiporia extensa'') and '' W. dilatohypha''. The genus is named in honor of mycologist Frederick Adolph Wolf, who was the first to officially describe the type species. Species list *'' Wolfiporia cartilaginea'' Ryvarden (1986) *'' Wolfiporia castanopsis'' Y.C.Dai (2011) *'' Wolfiporia curvispora'' Y.C.Dai (1998) *'' Wolfiporia dilatohypha'' Ryvarden & Gilb. (1984) *'' Wolfiporia extensa'' (synonym A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means precisely or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are a ... for ''Wolfiporia cocos'') *'' Wolfiporia sulphurea'' (Burt) Ginns (1984) References Polyporaceae Polyporales gene ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pinus Armandii
''Pinus armandii'', the Armand pine or Chinese white pine, is a species of pine native to China, occurring from southern Shanxi west to southern Gansu and south to Yunnan, with outlying populations in Anhui. It grows at altitudes of 2200–3000 m in Taiwan, and it also extends a short distance into northern Burma. In Chinese it is known as " Mount Hua pine" (). It grows at 1,000–3,300 m altitude, with the lower altitudes mainly in the northern part of the range. It is a tree reaching height, with a trunk up to in diameter. Description It is a member of the white pine group, ''Pinus'' subgenus ''Strobus'', and like all members of that group, the leaves ('needles') are in fascicles (bundles) of five, with a deciduous sheath. They are long. The cones are long and broad, with stout, thick scales. The seeds are large, long and have only a vestigial wing; they are dispersed by spotted nutcrackers. The cones mature in their second year, this is a juvenile female cone: ; V ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Penghou
The Penghou (, pronounced ʰə̌ŋ.xǒʊ literally: "drumbeat marquis") is a tree spirit from Chinese mythology and folklore. Two Chinese classics record similar versions of the Penghou myth. The (c. 3rd century) ''Baize tu'' (白澤圖, "Diagrams of the White Marsh"), named after the Baize "White Marsh" spirit recorded in the ''Baopuzi'', is no longer fully extant, but is identified with a Dunhuang manuscript (P2682). It describes the Penghou: A creature that has evolved from the essence of wood is called Penghou. It looks like a black dog with no tail and its meat can be prepared as food. The essence of a 1,000-year-old tree may evolve into a spirit called Jiafei. It looks like a pig. Its meat tastes like dog meat. (tr. Luo 2003: 4132) The (c. 4th century) ''Soushenji'' (搜神記, "In Search of the Supernatural") has a story about "The Penghou in the Camphor Tree": During the Wu Kingdom (Three Kingdoms Period, 220–280) Jing Shu felled a big camphor tree. Then the wood bl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ink Stick
Inksticks () or ink cakes are a type of solid Chinese ink used traditionally in several Chinese and East Asian art forms such as calligraphy and brush painting. Inksticks are made mainly of soot and animal glue, sometimes with incense or medicinal scents added. To make ink, the inkstick is ground against an inkstone with a small quantity of water to produce a dark liquid which is then applied with an ink brush. By adjusting the strength and duration of the ink grinding process, artists and calligraphers may adjust the concentration of the produced ink to suit their tastes. Along with the inkstone, ink brush, and paper, the inkstick is considered one of the Four Treasures of the Study of classical Chinese literary culture. History The earliest artifacts of Chinese inks can be dated back to 12th century BC, with charred materials, plant dyes, and animal-based inks being occasionally used, mineral inks being most common. Mineral inks based on materials such as graphite were ground ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Four Gentlemen
In Chinese art, the Four Gentlemen or Four Noble Ones (), is a collective term referring to four plants: the plum blossom, the orchid, the bamboo, and the chrysanthemum. The term compares the four plants to Confucian '' junzi'', or "gentlemen". They are commonly depicted in bird-and-flower paintings, a broad category of classical Chinese art, and they are particularly popular subjects for ink wash painting. The Four Gentlemen are a recurring theme in art because of their long history as symbols of traditional Chinese virtues, such as uprightness, purity, humility, and perseverance despite harsh conditions. Each of them represent a different season (the plum blossom for winter, the orchid for spring, the bamboo for summer, and the chrysanthemum for autumn), the four are used to depict the unfolding of the seasons through the year. Together, the Four Gentlemen have been used in Chinese painting since the time of the Song dynasty (960–1279) since the publication of ''Mixt ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chinese Mythology
Chinese mythology () is mythology that has been passed down in oral form or recorded in literature throughout the area now known as Greater China. Chinese mythology encompasses a diverse array of myths derived from regional and cultural traditions. Populated with engaging narratives featuring extraordinary individuals and beings endowed with magical powers, these stories often unfold in fantastical mythological realms or historical epochs. Similar to numerous other mythologies, Chinese mythology has historically been regarded, at least partially, as a factual record of the past. Along with Chinese folklore, Chinese mythology forms an important part of Chinese folk religion and Taoism, especially older popular forms of it. Many narratives recounting characters and events from ancient times exhibit a dual tradition: one that presents a more historicized or euhemerized interpretation, and another that offers a more mythological perspective. Numerous myths delve into the creation ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bamboo
Bamboos are a diverse group of mostly evergreen perennial plant, perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily (biology), subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family, in the case of ''Dendrocalamus sinicus'' having individual stalks (Culm (botany), culms) reaching a length of , up to in thickness and a weight of up to . The internodes of bamboos can also be of great length. ''Kinabaluchloa, Kinabaluchloa wrayi'' has internodes up to in length. and ''Arthrostylidium schomburgkii'' has internodes up to in length, exceeded in length only by Cyperus papyrus, papyrus. By contrast, the stalks of the tiny bamboo Raddiella, ''Raddiella vanessiae'' of the savannas of French Guiana measure only in length by about in width. The origin of the word "bamboo" is uncertain, but it most likely comes from the Dutch language, Dutch or Portuguese language, Portuguese language, which originally borrowed it from Malay langua ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
