Chinese Floral Art
Wednesday, December 4, 2024

The Origins of Chinese Floral Art

The origins of Chinese floral art trace back over 1,500 years to the Wei, Jin, and Northern and Southern Dynasties, during which flowers were offered as part of Buddhist rituals. It is one of China’s significant classical arts. At the time, floral arrangements were used for festive celebrations and religious offerings. Floral art could be seen in palace settings and on the desks of scholars. Its popularity grew from the royal courts to religious spaces and then to the general populace. People even established Flower Festival Day on the 15th day of the second lunar month to celebrate the “birthday of all flowers,” making it the second most important festival of the time.

By the Tang and Song Dynasties, this art form, along with incense burning, tea brewing, and calligraphy, was regarded as one of the “Four Arts of Life.” It became a fundamental and widespread skill of daily life. Unfortunately, by the late Qing Dynasty and early Republican era, due to wars and hardships, the art of floral arrangement gradually declined, becoming almost entirely unfamiliar to the general public.

Revival of Chinese Floral Art

In 1983, during a Japanese Ikebana workshop hosted by the Chinese Women’s Orchid Association in Taiwan, participants were astonished when the instructor revealed that Japanese Ikebana had its roots in Chinese floral art. This revelation inspired a group of enthusiasts, led by Professor Huang Yongchuan, to research and revive the rich history of Chinese floral art. In 1984, they held the first Chinese Classical Floral Art Exhibition at Taiwan’s National Museum of History, marking the first such exhibition since the Tang and Song Dynasties.

Driven by a sense of cultural responsibility, Professor Huang Yongchuan established the Chinese Floral Art Cultural and Educational Foundation in 1986. With a group of dedicated teachers, he developed a structured theoretical and technical system for teaching Chinese floral art, thus laying the foundation for its revival.

The Chinese Floral Art Education System

The cultivation of a floral artist, much like the blooming of a flower, requires time. The learning process is divided into levels:

•	Lectures
•	Beginner
•	Intermediate
•	Advanced
•	Research Levels 1, 2, and 3
•	Senior Research

The entire training process takes about seven years. To become a certified Chinese floral art instructor, students must pass an examination after completing the advanced course and then undertake teacher training courses in the research class.

Characteristics of Chinese Floral Arrangements

Chinese floral art is an art of spatial positioning. The arrangement’s orientation and proportions are based on principles derived from the Hetu and Luoshu diagrams (ancient Chinese cosmological charts). Floral vessels are categorized into six types: vases, plates, jars, bowls, tubes, and baskets. Based on the creator’s intent and subject matter, Chinese floral arrangements can be divided into four types:

1.	Scenic Flowers: Depicting landscapes.
2.	Conceptual Flowers: Conveying ideas.
3.	Imaginary Flowers: Expressing emotions or abstract thoughts.
4.	Sculptural Flowers: Focusing on form and structure.

The framework of an arrangement is built around three main branches:

•	Main Branch (the flower’s leader)
•	Guest Branch (the flower’s companion)
•	Supporting Branch (the flower’s mission)

Chinese floral arrangements are further classified into six basic styles:

1.	Upright
2.	Inclined
3.	Horizontal
4.	Inverted
5.	Flat-laid
6.	Composite

In terms of color, Chinese floral art draws inspiration from the Yin-Yang and Five Elements theory, emphasizing the use of the five primary colors. The harmonious pairing of Yin and Yang is considered highly auspicious.

中华花艺起源

中华花艺缘起于一千五百多年前魏晋南北朝的佛 教供花。是中国重要的古典艺术之一。当时的插 花，被应用到节日庆典和宗教供养上。在宫廷摆 设，文人案头，都可以见到插花艺术。从宫廷到 宗教，到民间，插花风气大盛起来。人们甚至把 农历二月十五定为花朝节（百花生日）大肆庆祝 ，这个节日当时就成为了国家第二个重要的节日 。 到了唐宋时代，这种艺术修养与“焚香”、“点茶 ”、“挂画”，同称为生活四艺。成为了当时人们最 基本，最普遍的生活素养。可惜清末明初，由于 战乱，民生疾苦，插花艺术因而日趋没落。插花 艺术对于国人而言，到了几乎是完全陌生的地步 。 1983年，中国台湾中华妇女兰艺社，在一次日本 花道老师的插花教学活动中，震惊于老师所说： 日本花道缘起于中国插花。因而有感于中国插花 之光荣历史，有积极发扬光大的必要。便结合黄 永川教授及一群同好者，潜心研究。1984年在台 湾国立历史博物馆举办了第一届“中国古典插花

艺术展。是自唐宋以来首届纯中国传统插花艺术 展。 受文化意识的驱使，黄永川教授肩负民族使命感 ，于1986年成立了财团法人中华花艺文教基金会 。带领一群热爱中华花艺的老师，一起建构中华 文化的轨道，创立了中华花艺系统教学的理论以 及技术体系。

中华花艺教学体系 一朵花开需要时间，一位花艺家的养成更需要时 间。中华花艺的学习分为： 讲座、初级、中级、高级、研一、研二、研三、 高研。学习时长为七年。若想要教授中华花艺， 成为中华花艺的老师，则需要在高级课程完成后 考试，取得高级证书之后可以进修研究班师资课 程。

中华花艺的插作 中华花艺是方位艺术，插作的方位、比例是根据 河图洛书来应用变化的。花器主要分为六大器型 ：瓶、盘、缸、碗、筒、篮。就创作者的心态与 内容来区分的话，中华花艺分为四大类型：写景

花、理念花、心象花和造型花。花型的骨架主要 由三大主枝构成：主枝（花盟主），客枝（花客 卿），使枝（花使命）。就插作的花型来区分， 分为六大基本花型：直立型、倾斜型、平出型、 倒挂型、平铺型、综合型。在色彩运用上，中华 花艺的色彩观念衍生于中国的阴阳五行学说，以 五大正色为正宗，阴阳配为大吉。