The core principle of traditional flower arrangement is the same as other traditional arts such as painting, calligraphy, bonsai and gardening, which is "the unity of man and nature". Whether it is natural beauty or artistic beauty, it revolves around this principle, pursuing the Taoist state of "the world and I are born together, and all things are one with me".

How to understand "harmony between man and nature"?

Putting aside Taoist theory, from the perspective of flower arrangement practice alone, we can also borrow the three philosophical questions: "Who am I? What flowers do I pick? Where do the flowers go?"

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"Who am I?" This is the author's knowledge of himself, of his own heart and the environment he is in. The heart can be up or down, broad or narrow, and the environment can be divided into real or unreal, civil or military.

"What flowers did you pick?" This means knowing the plants and trees, understanding their natural state, knowing their shape, knowing their nature, knowing their region, and understanding their unique meanings.

The same is true as the Book of War said: "Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be in danger in a hundred battles."

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"Where do the flowers go?" This is the way to connect plants and authors, one using humanities and the other using technology.

In the humanities category, most traditional flower materials have semantics. "Yu Tang Fugui" and "Sui Han San You" all have specific references. Although landscape flower arrangement describes the four seasons of nature, it is done by people, so some people have thoughts involved. The works can reach the realm of Wang Wei's poetry and transcend into Zen.

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Traditional flower arrangement combines wildness with human touch, just like delicacies from land and sea, which require particular attention to ingredients and cooking skills.

There is no same flower in the world, nor is there the same person or the same theme. Even if the flowers are of the same type and amount, the flower arrangements will vary greatly due to the differences in flowers and people.

In a flower arrangement exhibition, you can see a lively and colorful spiritual world, which is really beautiful to think about.

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As for the style and spirit of traditional flower arrangement, you can read more ancient paintings of Qinggong and books such as "Three Theories on Vase Flowers" and "History of Vase Flowers". The ancient painting collections of Chen Laolian are especially recommended, in which you can see literati adjusting vase flowers.

How people today interpret it is a matter of many different kinds, and there are a number of research works that can be found online.

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