RECORD OF THE TREE PEONIES OF LOYANG
by Ou-yang Hsiu
The first and only translation from the original Chinese, by John Marney, Assoc. Prof. of Chinese, Oakland University. Rochester, Michigan. 1979.
TRANSLATOR'S NOTE
Ou-yang Hsiu (1007-1072) was one of the greatest of the many great men in all Chinese history. In his career as a member of the established imperial bureaucracy he rose to be prime minister, and was responsible for efficient administration and innovative legislation. He was a renowned classicist and contributed most significantly to the Neo-Confucian thought whose development was a feature of early Sund intellectual activity. A historiographical genius, he wrote the official history of the preceding T'ang dynasty; a litterateur, he is universally recognized as one of the finest poets in the grand Chinese literary tradition.
His "Record of the Tree Peonies of Loyang" is, as he observes himself, the first treatise on the peony, and as such deserves very close attention. Its content reveals his philosophical speculations on the fundaments of the natural and metaphysical worlds; his famous skepticism; his curiosity and interest in the multifarious affairs of man; and his down-to-earth, systematic practicality.
James T. C. Liu's study of this extraordinary man, Ou-yang Hsiu An Eleventh-Century Neo-Confucianist (Stanford University Press, 1967), is generally available in public libraries. John Marney, Oakland University
1. Varieties
The tree peony (P. mutan; P. arborea; P. suffruticosa) comes from Tan and Yen provinces; to the east it comes from Ch'ing province; and to the south it also comes from Yueh province. But those from Loyang are today considered prime in the empire. What Loyang calls "TAN PROVINCE FLOWER," "YEN PROVINCE RED," and "CH'ING PROVINCE RED" are the eminence of those localities. However, only the Loyang variety ranks among the first three species of flowers, and no other can compete independently with Loyang. The Yueh flower is little known because its place of origin is so distant, and it is not valued. The Yueh people, too, dare not themselves boast about its relative rating in competition with Loyang, and so the Loyang flower is considered the best in the empire.
In Loyang there is also the "YELLOW SHAO-YUEH" (herbaceous peony; P. lactiflora; P. albiflora) and the "CRIMSON PEACH." There is also the "AUSPICIOUS JADE LOTUS," the "THOUSAND PETALS," the "PLUM RED," the ELEGANT PLUM," and the like, none of which are to be discounted by other varieties that have appeared, but the Loyang folk do not much like them, and call them "berry flower" and "some-such flower" and so on. As for the tree peony, this has no name but is merely referred to as "flower," meaning that in the empire the tree peony is the only true flower. Not without good reason is it called MUTAN (male vermilion). Frequently, theories for the great esteem in which it is held state that Loyang is situated between the Three Rivers (Yellow, Wei, and Han), an anciently idealized territory. Here in the past, the Duke of Chou (d. 1105 B.C.) calculated with foot and inch measure the appearance and disappearance of the sun to determine the concordance and discordance of season and climate thereby to hold fast to the Correct Way. Thus, as the central point between heaven and earth, the perfect flourishing of trees and herbs, and the achievement of the vital force of central harmony, this locality is unique and differs from other places.
I disagree with this. Within Chou territory and the tributary lands of the four directions, Loyang lies at the center of the Nine Divisions; but the city is not necessarily central within the boundlessness between heaven and earth, and the K'un-lun Mountains! Furthermore, the harmonizing vital force of heaven and earth should pervade all four directions, above and below, and should not be limited to the center so selfishly. "Center" and "harmony" have their constant vital force which, translated into physical being, should also result in constant form. The constancy of physical being is neither extremely beautiful nor extremely ugly. When defect in that physical being's fundamental vital force occurs, since beauty and ugliness are incongruous and are not in mutual harmony, that such physical being be utterly beautiful or utterly ugly is because of the bias in its vital force. As to a flower's being imbued with its beauty, and the crooked and swollen Ailanthus tree's being imbued with its ugliness, although the ugliness and beauty differ, yet they inherit the same vital force's bias and defect, and so are equal.
Loyang city covers an area of several score square miles, yet none of the flowers from the counties and districts can equal those within the city. And going outside these boundaries, it becomes impossible to grow them. But how on the other hand does the vital force biased towards beauty uniquely concentrate within these several square miles? This too is one of the great universal imponderables.
Unusual physical occurrences that are harmful to human beings are called catastrophes; unusual occurrences that are merely startling but do no harm are called phenomena. A saying goes, "If Heaven rebels against due season, then that is catastrophe; if Earth rebels against physical materia, then that is phenomenon." This too, then, is the phenomena of the shrubs and trees, and om of the wonders of the myriad physical materia. Thus the crooked and swollen ailanthus tree might rather alone be imbued with beauty, and be received with favor by mankind!
I observed four spring seasons in Loyang. I first arrived in the city in the 3rd month of the 9th year of T'ien-sheng (1031), which was too late to see the peonies in full bloom. The next year I went on an excursion with a friend, Mei Sheng-yueh, into the Shaoshih, Kou-shih, and Ling-shih peaks of the Sung Mountains, and the Purple-Clouds Caves of the T'ang Mountains (in modern Honan province), and I did not return in time to see the flowers. Again in the following year I suffered the bereavement of a relative and had no time for flower-viewing. And yet again the next year, I was fully engaged in my official duties and it was well into the harvest season before I could get away, by which time only the leaves remained to be seen. And so I have never seen these flower) in the fullness of their bloom, and what my eyes have seen is not their full beauty.
Whilst at my office, I once paid a visit to Ch'ien Ssu-kung, and downstairs in the Twin Cassia Pavilion I saw a small screen whose back was covered with tiny characters. Ssu-kung pointed to it and said, "I want to compile a 'Classification of Flowers' and these are the names of more than ninety varieties of tree peony." At the time I was too busy to read it; however, those that I have seen and that people these days commonly mention, number only some thirty varieties. I do not know where Ssu-kung obtained such a large number. His writing down all these others must be because they had names, although they were not particularly admirable specimens. And so I now record only the most outstanding varieties, and rank them in order.
YAO YELLOW,
WEI FLOWER,
T'ING RED (also called CH'ING PROVINCE RED).
FINE PETAL SHOU-AN,
NIU FAMILY YELLOW,
CH'IEN POOL PURPLE,
TSO FLOWER,
PRESENTATION RED.
PETAL-BASE PURPLE.
CRANES IN-HARMONY RED,
ADDING COLOR RED.
INVERTED SANDALWOOD-HEART,
CINNABAR RED.
NINE-STAMEN TRUE PEARL,
YEN PROVINCE RED,
MULTI-PETALLED PURPLE,
COARSE PETAL SHOU-AN,
TAN PROVINCE RED,
LOTUS-FLOWER CALYX,
ONE HUNDRED AND FIVE,
DOE'S WOMB FLOWER.
LIQUORICE ROOT YELLOW,
ONE TUCKED-IN RED,
JADE TABLET WHITE.
2. Nomenclature
The names of mutan peonies are derived from clan surnames, names of provinces, localities, color, or according to distinguishing characteristics.
YAO YELLOW, TSO FLOWER, and WEI FLOWER derive from surnames; CH'ING PROVINCE, TAN PROVINCE, and YEN PROVINCE REDS take the names of provinces;
FINE PETAL and COARSE PETAL SHOU-AN, and CH'IEN POOL PURPLE refer to localities;
ONE TUCKED-IN RED, CRANES-IN-HARMONY RED, CINNABAR RED, JADE TABLET WHITE, MULTI-PETALLED PURPLE, and LIQUORICE ROOT YELLOW are named for their colors;
PRESENTATION RED, ADDING-COLOR RED, NINE-STAMEN TRUE PEARL, DOE'S WOMB FLOWER, IN VERTED SANDALWOOD-HEART, LOTUS-FLOWER CALYX, ONE HUNDRED AND FIVE, and PETAL BASE PURPLE all note their peculiarities.
YAO YELLOW has multiple petals and yellow flowers. It originated with the Yao family less than a decade ago. The Yao family lives at Pai Ssu-ma Slope, in Hoyang. However, this flower did not spread here, but rather spread to Loyang. Even in Loyang they are scarce and only a few sprays are produced each year.
NIU FAMILY YELLOW also has multiple petals, and originates with the Niu family. It is smaller than the YAO YELLOW. The Chen-tsung Emperor (998-1022) conducted sacrificial ceremonies at Fen-yin and on his return to Loyang, lodged at Shu-ching Pavilion. Mr. Niu presented these flowers and thus they acquired this name.
The LIQUORICE ROOT YELLOW has single petals, and is of the color of KAN-TS'AO (liquorice root). The Lo folk excel at horticultural distinctions, and observing the stem know that it is such and such flower. Only the YAO YELLOW is easily recognized by its petals, and it is not rank to the taste.
The WEI FLOWER has multiple petals and flesh-red flowers. It originated with the minister Wei Jen-p'u's family. At first a woodcutter in the Shou-an Mountains noticed the flower, took a cutting and sold it to Mr. Wei. Mr. Wei's ponds and buildings were vast and it is related that when the flowers came to bloom, those who wished to see them were charged a dozen cash or so, embarked upon a boat and taken across the lake to the flowers' location. Mr. Wei thereby collected a dozen or so strings of cash every day. Later, falling on hard times, he sold his gardens. Now the woods and lakes behind the P'u-ming temple occupy these grounds. The monks here tilled this land and planted mulberry and wheat. A great number of the flowers were distributed among the local families. Someone counted its petals and stated that there were as many as seven hundred. Ch'ien Ssu-kung once said, "People call the tree peony the 'king of flowers.' Now, if the YAO YELLOW can indeed be considered the king. then the WEI FLOWER is the queen."
The T'ING RED has single petals and deep red flowers. It comes from Ch'ing province, and is also called CH'ING PROVINCE RED. In the past the p'u-yeh officer Chang Ch'i-hsien had a residence in the Hsien-hsiang (worthy ministers) district of the Western Capital (Loyang). He transported this species by camel-back from Ch'ing province. Thereafter it spread throughout the Lo area. Its color is like the stiff t'ing waistband and so it is called the T'ING RED.
The PRESENTATION RED is extremely multi-petalled, with pale red flowers. When the p'u-yeh officer Chang retired from his ministership, he resided at Loyang. Someone presented him with this flower and so it was called PRESENTATION RED.
The ADDING-COLOR RED is multi-petalled. When it first blooms it has white flowers but after several days it gradually reddens until by the time it falls it is deep red. This transformation is particularly artful.
The CRANES-IN-HARMONY RED is multi-petalled. The tips of the flowers are white and the base flesh-red like the coloring of the crane's feathers.
The FINE PETAL SHOU-AN and COARSE PETAL SHOU-AN both have multiple petals and flesh-red flowers. They originate in Shou-an district, in the Chin-p'ing Mountains. The FINE PETAL is especially beautiful.
The INVERTED SANDALWOOD-HEART is multi-petalled and has red flowers. With most flowers, the color is deep near the calyx growing paler towards the tip. This flower, however, is deep-colored at the edges, growing whiter towards the calyx, and with deep sandalwood spots in the heart. This is utterly charming.***(bis hier eingearbeitet)
ONE TUCKED-IN RED is multi-petalled, with pale red flowers. The extreme tip of the petal is deep red, as though tucked in (pinched?) by three (or third?) fingers.
NINE-STAMEN TRUE PEARL RED has multiple petals and red flowers. The petals have a dot of white like a pearl, and are densely knit around the stamen.
ONE HUNDRED AND FIVE has multiple petals and white flowers. In Loyang the flowering season occurs during the Grain Rains (c. April 20 to May 4), but this flower blooms as a rule from the one hundred and fifth day at the earliest (i.e., one hundred and five days after the winter solstice).
The TAN PROVINCE RED and YEN PROVINCE RED both have multiple petals and red flowers. It is not known how they came to the Lo region.
The LOTUS FLOWER CALYX has multiple petals, red flowers, and green tarsi in triple folds like the lotus flower's calyx.
The TSO FLOWER has multiple petals and purple flowers. The petals are dense and uniform as if tailored. It is also called EVEN-HEADED PURPLE.
The CINNABAR RED is multi-petalled and has red flowers. Its origins are unknown. A commoner excelled at grafting flowers as a commercial enterprise, and bought some ground in front of the Ch'ung-te Temple, where he cultivated a flower garden. He had this flower, but the great families of Loyang are still unacquainted with it and so its name remains little known. The flower petals are extremely fresh, and looking at them in the sun, they look like crimson blood.
PETAL-BASE PURPLE has multiple petals and purple leaves, the color of ink. It is also called INK PURPLE. When in thickets, this flower always puts out at the side a large branch leading the petals over its top. It blooms some ten days longer than other (peony) flowers. Heigh-ho! The Creator Himself had compassion for it: this variety in comparison with others has its origins in the most remote locations. A tradition says that at the end of the T'ang dynasty, an empress's retinue included a kuam-chun jung-shih officer, in whose household this flower originated. It is thus also called CHUN-JUNG PURPLE. This was so long ago that his name has been forgotten.
JADE TABLET WHITE has single petals and white flowers. The petals are fine and long, like Chinese theatrical wooden clappers; its color is like jade and deep sandalwood-heart (pale reddish-brown). Few of the Loyang folk have specimens. I once went with Ssu-kung to the Fu-yen Monastery to view it. I questioned the monks there and was told its name. I have never seen it after that.
CH'IEN POOL PURPLE is multiple petalled and has purple (or very dark red) flowers. It originated in the Ch'ien Pool Monastery, behind the Lung-men Mountains, originally the T'ang Premier Li Fan's country retreat. This variety has already disappeared from this temple, but there are people who have it. At first the flower is purple, but suddenly, in a thicket, it will put forth a head or two of deep red flowers. The following year this color will transfer to a different branch. The Lo folk call it "Passing from Branch to Branch Flower." Cuttings are very hard to obtain.
DOE'S WOMB FLOWER is multi-petalled, and has purple flowers with white dots like the pattern on a doe's womb (belly). Su Hsiang-yu's imperially-conferred residence (the produce of which was used for ceremonial sacrifices) has specimens.
The MULTI-PETALLED PURPLE's origins are unknown. At first, before the YAO YELLOW had appeared the NIU YELLOW was considered supreme, and before the NIU YELLOW had appeared, the WEI FLOWER was considered supreme. Before the WEI FLOWER had appeared, the TSO FLOWER was considered supreme. And before the TSO FLOWER, there were only the likes of the SU FAMILY RED, the HO FAMILY RED, and the LIN FAMILY RED, all of which had single-petalled flowers, and which at the time were considered supreme. After the appearance of the multi-petalled and multiple petalled flowers, these flowers have fallen from their former eminence, and people today no longer grow them.
At first, there were no written records of the tree peony, except in the materia medica, in which they were noted for their medicinal qualities, and so they were not ranked highly among flowers. For the most part, from Tan and Yen provinces westward to Pao-hsieh Circuit, there are a great many, and are regarded no different from thorns and brambles. The local people gather them for firewood. From the time of the T'ang Empress Tse-t'ien (684-704) onwards, the Loyang tree peony began to flourish. However, there was no mention of any specific nomenclature, i.e., the likes of Shen (Ch'uan-ch'i), Sung (An-shu), Yuan (Chen), and Po (Chu-il all excelled at versifying flowers and herbs, but differ from the records of today in that they always gave descriptions in their texts but said nothing about any tradition. Only Liu Meng-te wrote a poem about the tree peony at the household of Yu Chao-en, and merely said, "In a single clump, ten thousand heads." Nor did he mention its beauty or its distinguishing features. Hsieh Ling-yun wrote that there were many tree peonies among the fine bamboo on the banks of a river. Nowadays the Yueh Flower is nowhere near as good as the Loyang and that is because the Lo flower is more flourishing than it has ever been.
3. Customs
The commonfolk of Loyang for the most part have a great fondness for flowers. In the springtime, the people in the city, no matter whether noble or baseborn, all wear flowers. Even the officials do so. When the flowers bloom gentry and commoners vie in taking pleasure trips and strolls to ancient temples and derelict households and turning such places as have lakes and pavilions into marketstances. They open up tents and awnings, and everywhere is heard the sound of music and singing. It's all most flourishing on the pleasure-boat embankments, The Prunus japonica area of the Chang residence gardens, the East Lane of the Ch'ang-shou Temple and the Kuo Ling household. All this goes on until the flowers fall.
Loyang is six post-stages from the Eastern Capital (K'ai-feng) and never used to send flowers there. But recently when Li, the hsien-hsiang, Yu of Hsu province became the liu-shou officer (a high imperial appointment in the metropolitan district), the peony was first presented at the Imperial Birthday (i.e., the first decade of the eleventh century). A single ya-chiao officer (a junior position, usually given to those of persevering nature, and good fighters) mounted upon post-horses and in a single day and night reached the capital city. The presentation did not exceed three or so sprays of YAO YELLOW and the WEI FLOWER, which were wrapped in vegetable leaves and placed in a firm bamboo basket so that they would not be thrown about on horseback. The blossoms were sealed in wax, and the peduncle did not shed for several days.
For the most part, Loyang households all have flowers, but rarely go in for large trees. And if they are not grafts, they are not valued. In early spring, the Lo folk take little cuttings in the Shou-an Mountains and vend them in the city, calling them "mountain combings." People cultivate some ground into small plots, fertilize them and plant the cuttings. By autumn the cuttings have taken. A famous specialist in such cuttings was called "Men-yuan tzu" (Specialist Gardener) because his name was Tung-men (East Gate. This is a pun on men, meaning "gate" hence "insider" or "specialist"). The eminent families without exception all requested his services. One cutting of YAO YELLOW was worth five thousand cash. The purchase contract was made in the autumn, and when in spring the flower was seen, the purchase price was paid. The Loyang folk are extremely grudging of this flower, and are unwilling to circulate it. When powerful nobles seek cuttings, they are sometimes given those that have been killed by immersion in hot water. When the WEI FLOWER first appeared, a cutting was also worth five thousand cash. Nowadays it is still worth a thousand cash.
Cutting time should be between the Spring Grain Festival and the Double Ninth (9th day of the 9th month); other than this it is unsuitable. A cutting should be taken five to seven inches up the main stem from the ground, enclosed in loam, set in soft earth, and covered over by a structure of arum leaves to prevent exposure to wind and sun. A small opening to the south should be left for ventilation. When springtime comes, dispense with the cover. This is the method of cultivating cuttings. Pottery tile may also be used. In planting the flowers, one must select the very best earth. The old earth must be completely removed and replaced with fine soil mixed with a chin weight [approx. 1/3 of a Ib.] of pai-lien. This is because the tree peony roots are sweet and are very attractive to insects, and pai-lien is insecticidal. This is the way to plant the flowers. Watering the plants must also be done at the proper time. Some people do so before the sun has risen; others do so after the sun has set. In the ninth month (approx. October) the flowers should be watered once every ten days; in the tenth and eleventh months, they should be watered once every two or three days; in the first month [approx. February] they should be watered every other day; and in the second month they should be watered every day. This is the method of watering the flowers.
If a single stem produces several heads, prune away the small ones and leave only one or two heads. This is called "stripping" lest the arteries be divided. When the flowers have fallen, trim the stems; do not allow them to form seeds, since this will age them. At the beginning of spring, having taken away the arum-leaf shelter, remove the thorns from the more heavily-thorned branches on the flower thicket. If the air is warm, it may be possible to avoid frost and there will be no damage to the flower buds. This is true of larger trees, too. This is the method of cultivating the flowers. If the blooms are smaller than before, that indicates insect damage. In this case, look for the wormholes and apply liu-huang [sulphur]. If at the side of these holes there are further tiny holes like the eye of a needle, then that is where the insects are located.
Horticulturists call this the "transom." Take a large needle dipped in sulphur and poke the end. The insect will then die and the flower again flourish. This is the method of curing the flower. However, if a cuttlefish-bone needle is used and the bark of the trunk is penetrated, the flower abruptly dies. This is what the flower must avoid.
Translator's Introduction—
Lu Yu (1125-1210) was a master of lyric shih poetry during the Southern Sung regime (1125-1279). At this time. North China was dominated by the Chin (Mongol) tribes. Much of Lu's vast corpus of ten thousand poems touches on this national crisis, and for this reason, rightly or wrongly, he is known as a "patriotic" poet. He was placed Highest Candidate in the imperial examinations of the year 1153, but was disqualified from the lists because of
the enmity of a powerful courtier. Nevertheless, he served in various official capacities, and in 1170, he was commissioned to a post in the southwestern province of Ssuchuan. He remained here until 1189, most of which time he spent in the provincial capital Ch'eng-tu. His "Register of the Tree Peonies of T'ien-p'eng" represents an aspect of his interested observations in this area. This text is the second earliest extant record of peonies in China, preceded only by Ou-yang Hsiu's "Record of the Tree Peonies of Loyang,"
(translated for American Peony Society Bulletin, No. 229), to which Lu makes frequent reference. A biography of Lu Yu has been published by Professor Michael S. Duke, Lu You (Twayne World Authors Series, G. K. Hall, Boston, 1977).
Note of explanation-Vague terms are used in the interpretations. The Chinese word Chieh indicates join; graft also might be interchangeable with cuttings. Hybrid might simply be "seeds of. . ."Different words of similarity are used in various contexts in a particular passage.
The above given is taken from the brochure:
Kessenich, Greta, ed,1979, The American Peony Society: Seventy-Five Years, Hopkins, Minnesota: American Peony Society
„...Thus great flower fairs and gatherings were established. It became a custom for Luoyang women, no matter how rich or poor, to wear peonies in their hair (Ouyang Xiu, the Tang, Records of Luoyang Peony, hereafter Ouyang's Records).
Grafting was then introduced to propagate new varieties selected from the continued production of seedlings. Based on this, a succession of specialised books on peonies was published. In 1034AD Ouyang's Records was first printed, contributing greatly to China floriculture and to the study of flowers and cultivated varieties....“
extract from the book :
Wang Lianying 1998, Chinese Tree Peony
One of the most valuable articles preserved till today is Ouyang Xiu.s (1007-1072) "Record of the Tree Peony in Luoyang". In this article he listed 24 kinds of tree peonies and described them one by one. Today, several in this group are still in existence and treasured by flower lovers in China and abroad alike
from: http://www.china-contact.com/www/peony.html
http://www.usglobe.com/Asia/China/china.html
http://www.chineseartworld.com/Nigensha/c26.htm