Traditional flower arrangement is a living art using flower branches as the material. According to the research, the art of traditional flower arrangement originated from Western Zhou Dynasty to Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods, and has a history of more than 3,000 years. During its development, traditional flower arrangement has gone through various stages, including the initial period in the Han Dynasty, the development period in the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the flourishing period in the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the peak period in the Song Dynasty, the mature period in the Yuan and Ming Dynasties, and the declining period in the late Qing Dynasty. The traditional Chinese flower arrangement advocates the beauty of nature and is adept at creating a poetic and picturesque atmosphere with line shapes and asymmetrical compositions, fully expressing the national characteristics of Chinese culture and the aesthetic consciousness of traditional Chinese people.

Since the Sui and Tang dynasties, the traditional Chinese flower arrangement has been introduced to Japan and has profoundly influenced the development of Japanese flower arrangement. Traditional flower arrangement is divided into four main types: folk flower arrangement, temple flower arrangement, imperial flower arrangement, and literati flower arrangement, whose conception, composition, material selection, pruning, fixing, adjustment, and decoration all reflect rich cultural connotations and aesthetic concepts. The traditional flower arrangement tended to decline in the late Qing Dynasty and has been revived since the 1980s. The traditional flower arrangement tended to decline in the late Qing Dynasty and has been revived since the 1980s. Recently, the Beijing Flower Arrangement Art Research Association, headed by Wang Lianying and Qin Kuijie, is dedicated to advocating, inheriting, developing and promoting this traditional art.

Translator: ZHAO Huinan