The Research On Chinese Lotus’ Culture

Lotus, also named Nelumbo nucifera, is a kind of aquatic plant. It is planted in everywhere in China if there is a lot of water. It has a long history in our country, the utilization history is about 5000 years and the and the cultivation history is about 3000 years. Culture, in a broad sense, means all the material civilization and spiritual civilization made by human beings. The lotus’ culture in this article synthesized material culture and spiritual culture, and stated the process of its production and development, meanwhile, it formed clear conclusion.It took 2000 to 3000 years from wild to cultivated, and there are records of cultivation during the Western Zhou Dynasty. For example, Book of Zhou contained “ pond dried up, lotus seeds pick up and roots dug up.” This reflects that people in our country started to plant and eat lotus during the Western Zhou period. The records about the planting, edibleness and medical application of lotus appeared more and more frequently and specifically since Han Dynasty. The varieties of lotus became more and they were planted in gardens widely. The master “Xianghepu ” appeared in late Qing Dynasty. The author Yang Zhongbao not only summarized the records about lotus in generations of farmers books and other books, but also tried trials by himself to gain more exact conclusions. The edible use, medicinal use and ornamental value of Chinese lotus appeared with its cultivation. Our ancestors, in daily life, continuously exploited its catering culture and medical culture, and created so many garden landscaping. At the same time, the producing activity was full of entertainment. People manufactured Folk Arts such as New Year pictures and scissor-cut, and the Lotus Festival appeared.Lotus’ culture is beyond simple plant traits gradually, it has been a carrier of spiritual culture. It can not only bring us exterior enjoy, but also can bring us spiritual satisfaction. The spiritual culture of lotus, experienced a progress from custom to elegance in China. Firstly, it means the image of beauty and love, and was endowed reproduction feature, expressed people’s desire for sons. In Wei and Jin dynasties, the reproduction worship evolved to religious implication, especially Buddhism and Taoism. At the very moment, the lotus was endowed holy color. In Song and Ming dynasties, Neo-Confucianism spring up, the scholars, begin with Zhou Dunyi, assimilated lotus as gentleman to indicate their integrity. The spiritual culture of lotus, then, has finished a long development history from custom to elegance.Lotus is one of the most ten famous kinds of flowers in China, enjoying a high reputation in Chinese flowers. The later development direction is promoting Chinese traditional lotus culture continuously, enhancing people’s sense of pride and confidence, and providing experience for researching Chinese traditional culture. The research of lotus’ culture, can not only make it more systematic, but also spy on the developing skeleton of traditional culture. we can take history as a mirror, take lotus as an entry point to reflect on Eco-agriculture and farming culture better. At the same time, we can exploit more enlightenment of lotus’ spiritual culture in modern times.