Do orchids really have a distinction between noble and common? Let's discuss it together

Orchids are one of China's finest traditional famous flowers, with a cultivation history of about two thousand years. Orchids have an elusive, wafting delicate fragrance, accompanied by dignified flower faces and plain, elegant postures, fully embodying the uniquely Oriental warmth and the pleasant, understated charm and grace; and when not in bloom, their foliage clumps, combining strength and softness, with well-spaced density, stay green all year round, swaying in the wind, fully displaying charm and spirit. Therefore, the warm, pure, and elegant orchid has, from ancient times to the present, won the praise and admiration of so many people.

My first encounter with orchids has to start with Confucius. The Master said: "...To live with a good man is like entering a room of irises and orchids: after a long time one no longer smells their fragrance, for one has become one with them. To live with a bad man is like entering a shop selling salted fish: after a long time one no longer smells the stench, for one has become one with it..." (Kongzi Jiayu, Liuben, Volume 4). Even then I knew that in nature, nothing is more fragrant than the orchid, and the smelliest place is where salted fish is sold; the orchid is the most fragrant.

Understanding orchids further, Confucius also said: "The angelica and orchid grow in secluded valleys, and do not cease to be fragrant because no one is there; the gentleman cultivates the Way and establishes virtue, and does not change his integrity because of poverty." This means: each person has their own view, and one should uphold and hold fast to one's own character and virtue, not changing because of external changes, not giving up because others do not appreciate one or because one falls into difficulty. Here I understood that orchids have character.

After passing the age of thirty, by chance I took up growing a few pots of orchids, read a little about orchid knowledge for the first time, and also got to know a few orchid friends. Casually, the question of whether orchids have noble and common distinctions came up, and I was quite puzzled, so I wrote this piece to sort out my own view of orchids.

1. The orchid plant is blameless; orchids inherently have no distinction between noble and common.

Orchids inherently have no high or low, noble or common distinction; it is we people, who have high and low, noble and common distinctions, who have sullied the orchid's pure and elegant essence. Orchids grow in deep mountains and secluded valleys; it is we humans who took them out of that place beyond the mundane, divided them into noble and common, and tainted them with so much money-mindedness, so that orchids come with pure elegance and leave with the stench of money, because dividing them into noble and common in this way is a desecration of the orchid's quality.

Although every orchid person, or orchid enthusiast, has different purposes for liking orchids, they are all the same in their love of orchids. In the eyes of a true orchid lover, an orchid is just an orchid. As long as they bring her home, they will strive to care for her.

2. Standards are set by people; orchids have a distinction between beautiful and not beautiful.

Since orchids have become objects of play, they will naturally be classified according to the likes and dislikes of orchid growers. Orchid growers who like fragrance regard fragrance as beauty; those who like plain elegance regard pure-centered flowers as beauty; those who like dignity regard dignity as beauty; those who like the strange and ingenious regard the strange as beauty... Each has their own way, each has their own beauty.

The traditional orchid aesthetic is plain elegance and noble purity, while the modern orchid aesthetic pursues the strange, ingenious, special, and gorgeous. Whether traditional or modern aesthetics, one can appreciate orchids through the petals, flower face, flower color, leaves, and the plant's scent.

The petals may be broad and round, or broad and wide, with petal tips complete and unbroken, with a tight base and close edges, thick and glutinous in texture, and the open form not floppy. The column is small and the lip is large, the lip round or square, with the red dots inside the lip neatly arranged and brightly colored, quite a sight to behold. In the flower face, the main petal is centered and upright, the side petals are left-right symmetrical with level shoulders; the two pollinia clasp the lip tightly; the flower stance is firm and upright, and after a long time open it does not splay its pollinia or drop its shoulders; the flower's structure is rigorous, with the proportions of each petal coordinated, all appearing graceful and charming, beautiful and moving. In flower color, petals of tender green with a clean color and no red streaks are the finest; petals may also carry other colors, such as golden osmanthus, purple-red, and rose-red, making the flower color pretty and dazzling. In the leaves, the leaf surface is smooth and glossy, lustrous, with a dark green leaf color and a moist leaf texture, appearing soft yet firm. In the plant, it should be robust and free of disease. The flower scape rises above the leaf surface, the leaves are complete, elegant and spreading, full of charm, giving a complete, dignified, and beautiful healthy beauty; we do not pursue a sickly beauty. In scent, it should be moderate in fragrance, quiet and elegant.

It is precisely because of human preferences that standards matching one's own aesthetic have been set. Hence the distinction between orchids that are famous and those that are not. Through the sedimentation of history, we have already formed our own aesthetic view of orchids, and we also accept orchids under this aesthetic view, and we also, without realizing it, pursue what we consider beautiful.

3. Orchid culture and the speculation of orchids

The patriotic poet Qu Yuan, in the unfortunate circumstances of being repeatedly slandered and tragically exiled, turned his full patriotic passion into immortal poems that have been passed down through the ages. And in his poems, orchids and huilan are praised as "beauties," "gentlemen," "worthies"... praising his yearning for and pursuit of a beautiful motherland, beautiful sentiments, and beautiful ideals.

The culture of Chinese orchids has the deepest historical and cultural foundation, the broadest and richest content, is the most human in feeling, the most humanized, the most personified, and the culture with the greatest cultural charm.

The value of orchid culture is intangible and cannot be measured by economic standards. However rich a person may be, even if their whole room is full of expensive orchids, if all they see in their eyes is the monetary value embodied by these things, then the orchid can only be an orchid; lacking the interactive communication between human consciousness and the orchid's artistic conception, the orchid can never become orchid culture. However inexpensive an orchid may be, as long as you can connect with her in mind and spirit, can feel the Creator's marvelous workmanship, and can be moved and gain insight, then you can realize orchid culture.

Whether or not there is speculation is none of my business; I will not write about it here.

4. Growing orchids cultivates the mind; growing orchids is growing yourself.

Growing orchids is an attitude toward life. Growing orchids is a process of enjoying life; one may rejoice for success but not be disheartened by failure. (I haven't even grown orchids well, yet I'm here to cultivate my mind; even if I say it, it would be fake, so I won't say it, lest I be accused of forcing sorrow for the sake of new verses: therefore, 800 characters are omitted here.)

Postscript: Grow orchids with a calm mind. Only when you keep them alive is there culture; only when you grow them well can you cultivate the mind without gnawing worry.