How to grow orchids? Looking at the way of orchid cultivation through the "Xing Lan Pu Lue"

 Zhang Guangzhao, in the "Xing Lan Pu Lue", discusses the cultivation of orchids, full of the dialectic of dry and wet, heat and cold, and it is recorded here for the reference of orchid growers:

"If it gets proper nourishment, no thing will fail to grow, and the cultivation of orchids is especially deep and subtle. In cultivating any thing, one must know its nature, understand its mind, and preserve its qi. What makes the orchid unique among all plants is that it hides in famous mountains, is passed on to chosen people, conceives the elegant spirit of heaven and earth, and gathers the wonder of fragrance. Therefore, crude and reckless people should not presume to inquire into it. For the orchid's nature is free and untrammeled, so when planting it, it must be given room to spread; the orchid's heart is solitary, so when tending it, it must be kept clean; the orchid's qi is quiet, so when guarding it, one must be upright. As for the method of cultivation, first discuss the selection of soil: old mud from previous plantings must be removed, and one must use fresh black sandy soil from the original mountain, the more granular the better. Sun-dry it for one or two days, but not too dry. At the spring equinox, choose an auspicious day for planting, either dividing the original clump (entering tone) or separating offshoots, with the pot sized to match. When planting, it must be neither shallow nor deep, and the soil near the roots must be made firm and solid. Most taboo is a balled root or a hollow pit. After planting is settled, water it with a spray pot using running water, and stop as soon as water comes out from the bottom of the pot. It may be exposed, but not sunned; only after ten days may it see the sun. Wait until it is thoroughly dry, then lightly water it with a spray pot as appropriate. Next, discuss adapting to the seasons. When the orchid is in the mountains, though there is great cold, it obtains the earth's qi and does not freeze; though there is severe heat, it obtains the nourishment of stone springs and the shade of pines and firs and does not suffer heat. Now that it has come among people, cold and heat, wind and rain easily injure it. One must attune the mind with the spirit, transform the body into an orchid, and only then obtain the wondrous use of responding to the heart. As the flower manuals say, in spring do not expose it to wind: the Qun Fang Pu says 'in spring do not bring it out,' not that it should never see wind at all; cold wind and violent wind and drafts should be avoided, but why avoid gentle warm breezes? In summer do not expose it to sun: not that it should never see sun at all; fierce sun and prolonged sun should be avoided, but why avoid brief shade? In autumn do not let it dry out: not that it should be constantly wet; when heat contends and wind is dry, it must not be allowed to become too dry. If rain accumulates for ten days together, why worry about dryness? In winter do not let it be wet: not that it should be constantly dry; in severe cold the qi contracts, and it should not be too wet. If clear warmth lasts a whole month, what harm is there in moisture? Only Jian orchids and autumn plain orchids fear cold qi and spring wind, and must be kept in reddish-brown curtains. Apart from these two kinds, around the spring equinox, when the weather is warm and mild, they may be moved to the courtyard to receive dew, and when minor snow freezes the paths, they should be brought back in. In general, the orchid's nature does not fear cold, only freezing: dry freezing makes the roots hollow; wet freezing makes the roots rot. If the cold is severe, then burn a brazier in the room to melt the freezing, but it should not be too close, lest fire qi injure the flowers. Next, discuss examining diseases. Orchids need to be neither dry nor wet, and also need to dry easily and wet easily, and also need to be slightly dry and slightly wet, and one must distinguish what seems dry but is not dry, and seems wet but is not wet. If too wet and vigorous, black spots arise; if too dry and thin, lice spots arise. Black spot disease is serious and should tend toward dryness; lice spot disease is mild and should tend toward moisture. Therefore, rather than being too wet, it is better to be dry: dry makes flowering difficult, but there is less disease; wet makes flowering easy, but there is more disease. It also likes ventilation and fears stuffy air; wet stuffiness is especially harmful. Only if dry without withering, wet without soaking, sunny yet dim, shady yet comfortable, cold without freezing, hot without scorching, cats not squatting on it, rats not tracing it, ants not nesting in it, earthworms not knotting in it, then it will flourish and grow, and a hundred diseases will be cut off. If one is not careful and lets cats urinate on it, fish-roe mold will immediately appear, and the area near the roots will rot first. One must urgently lift it out, wash away all the mud between the roots with clean water, wait until thoroughly dry, change the soil and replant. After three or five days, sprinkle lightly with water to moisten, and keep it often dry, not letting it be wet; thus it may avoid death. If mold appears again, it truly cannot be saved. The same is true near salt qi. Rats treat orchids as wine, so they especially crave them; they not only eat the flowers and stems, but also swallow leaves and bite roots, which is yet another demonic calamity in the Dragon Flower Assembly. Earthworms and ants are both troubles for orchids and huilan, sucking their sweet fragrance. Zhang Maoshi said that the crime of earthworms exceeds that of ants, because what is clear is easy to speak of, while what is hidden is hard to perceive. One should block them off in many ways and clear them away. For when the orchid is in the mountains, it rests on cloud roots, is shaded by stone moss, and often lies beneath cliffs and precipices. Therefore it is sunny but not dry, shady but not dirty; mist and dew sprinkle it, whirling wind cools it. Thus it is high yet often moist, secluded yet often unimpeded. Now if it is moved and placed in a splendid room and secluded chamber, among dense mats and broad seats, one should also not go against its nature, disturb its heart, or choke its qi. It is like a worthy gentleman or noble man wandering among mountain forests and streams and valleys; once summoned to the temple corridor, he should still be suited to his pure, quiet, upright feelings and preserve his free, distant, leisurely interests. If one uses him contrary to his talent and places him where he does not belong, then even Bo Luan's song and the Five Sighs, or Pingzi's chanting of the Four Sorrows, could still obtain the service of a worthy? Those who understand this are more than halfway to the way of cultivating orchids."