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A Talk about Bamboo in Ge Yuan Garden Bamboo is the symbol for oriental beauty. Appreciation of bamboo is an important characteristic of Chinese culture. The reason why people love bamboo is that its unrestrained bearing, its tall and straight manner, its friendly personal in integrity its morality of coupling hardness with softness and its perseverant temperament, all of which link closely of coupling hardness with softness and its perseverant temperament, all of which link closely with moral ideal and ethic tradition of the Chinese nation. People place there hopes and interest of life on bamboo. Bamboo is beautiful. Wherever they grow, they will bring with them extraordinary charm and interest. Bamboo not only has beautiful image but also agrees with the aesthetic taste and ethic morality owned by scholar officials and men of letters. Thus, Since the Wei and Jin dynasties, bamboo had become the embodiment of celebrities ideal personality. Respect bamboo, worship bamboo and take bamboo as one’s hobby, which become very popular. First there were Ji Kang, Ruan Ji, Liu Ling and others who were friendly to one another, strolled about bamboo grove. Their love of bamboo became a favorite topic among the people and are called the Seven Sages in Bamboo Forest, later on there were Li Bai, Kong Chaofu, Han Zhun and others who got acquainted with officials beside bamboo stream, where they took pleasure in composing poems and drinking wine. Thus they were then called Six Hermits of Bamboo Stream. Zhang Feng in the Ming dynasty, inscribed on the Painting Scroll of Men of Superior Attainments In Bamboo Grove as follows: “One pole, two poles of tall bamboo, fresh wind blows in the fifth moon and the sixth moon, unnecessary to saunter away from the turmoil of the world, only necessary to sing loudly our poems in Bamboo Grove.” In addition, people regarded bamboo as one of the three friends in the cold season of the year: pine, bamboo and plum and as one of the four gentlemen, i.e. plum, orchid, bamboo and chrysanthemum. These reflected the life of the then men of letters and afforded the themes for their poems and paintings. Chinese music has also a close relation with bamboo. In ancient times music was termed as “silk and bamboo” (string and flute) and there was a statement that string is inferior to bamboo because the musical instruments in ancient times were mostly made of bamboo like reed pipe and flare. Chinese dance is also related with bamboo. In the Song dynasty, the leading dancer in musical dance was called a “bamboo pole.” It is all these wonderful facts of nature, history and arts which mixed together and formed the cultural sediment and aesthetic interest solely owned by Ge Yuan Garden, which is enchanting and thought-provoking. |
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