A Desire of Tranquility
A Desire for Tranquility the Cultural and Health Aspects of Chrysanthemums in China
Yalin Mao
The chrysanthemum originated in western or central Asia (Zhao et al., 2010). Then there was a gradual northeasterly movement into China and Mongolia. After that, it spread into eastern Asia, then to eastern Siberia and the Far East, and finally the species were dispersed widely in every region (Zhao et al., 2010). In many countries, chrysanthemums stand for sorrow or farewell, especially in Italy and France. In the short story Odour of Chrysanthemums written by D. H. Lawrence, the odor of chrysanthemums is a cold, deathly smell (Rivers, 2012). Even though at the funeral in China, people always send chrysanthemums, it contains our wishes of hope and peace. The Chinese like this kind of flower because it holds a place deep in their heart since the flower means tranquility, has health benefits and cultural significance.
As an important part of Chinese culture, tranquility is hard to attain, because it includes many meanings, such as peace, hermit, calming down when meet trouble and keeping thrifty. What is interesting is that associating chrysanthemum with tranquility actually means more than just peace and calmness to the Chinese.
At first, chrysanthemums attracted humans just as special flowers that bloom in the autumn. As time passed, the Chinese found that the chrysanthemum can keep their health. In the Shennong’s Classic of Materia Medica, which is the earliest pharmacology in China, chrysanthemums were recorded as an excellent plant that can cure many illnesses, such as headache, ophthalmalgia (a kind of eye disease), rheumatic arthralgia, and so on. This flower can cure diseases, thus people believe that it is good for their inner peace. And this inner peace plays an important role in the meaning of tranquility.
Many modern medicine examples indicate that the chrysanthemum can be used to treat disease by ingesting this flower. My first example is the chrysanthemum is
Yalin Mao
The chrysanthemum originated in western or central Asia (Zhao et al., 2010). Then there was a gradual northeasterly movement into China and Mongolia. After that, it spread into eastern Asia, then to eastern Siberia and the Far East, and finally the species were dispersed widely in every region (Zhao et al., 2010). In many countries, chrysanthemums stand for sorrow or farewell, especially in Italy and France. In the short story Odour of Chrysanthemums written by D. H. Lawrence, the odor of chrysanthemums is a cold, deathly smell (Rivers, 2012). Even though at the funeral in China, people always send chrysanthemums, it contains our wishes of hope and peace. The Chinese like this kind of flower because it holds a place deep in their heart since the flower means tranquility, has health benefits and cultural significance.
As an important part of Chinese culture, tranquility is hard to attain, because it includes many meanings, such as peace, hermit, calming down when meet trouble and keeping thrifty. What is interesting is that associating chrysanthemum with tranquility actually means more than just peace and calmness to the Chinese.
At first, chrysanthemums attracted humans just as special flowers that bloom in the autumn. As time passed, the Chinese found that the chrysanthemum can keep their health. In the Shennong’s Classic of Materia Medica, which is the earliest pharmacology in China, chrysanthemums were recorded as an excellent plant that can cure many illnesses, such as headache, ophthalmalgia (a kind of eye disease), rheumatic arthralgia, and so on. This flower can cure diseases, thus people believe that it is good for their inner peace. And this inner peace plays an important role in the meaning of tranquility.
Many modern medicine examples indicate that the chrysanthemum can be used to treat disease by ingesting this flower. My first example is the chrysanthemum is
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