China News Service, Huzhou, October 18 (Shi Zinan and Wang Jiehan) In Xiaoxi Street, Huzhou City, Zhejiang Province, there is a "literati flower road" courtyard with flowers and plants surrounding the wall, which is simple and elegant.
Under the faint yellow light, Ying Guohong, the owner of the courtyard, is immersed in the creation of literati flower arrangements.
The overall shape of the literati flower arrangement is simple and lively, with a natural interest. Photo by Wang Jiehan
Sometimes turning the flower utensils, sometimes bowing his head in contemplation, picking up three branches and two leaves and a few plain flowers in the yard. These "leftovers" were manipulated by Ying Guohong and instantly turned into works of art.
Ying Guohong is a master of flower arranging in Zhejiang Province, president of Huzhou Flower Arrangement Art Association, and the founder of "Chinese Literati Flower Road". Familiar friends and neighbors like to call him "King of Flowers."
And the relationship between him and the flower begins more than 30 years ago.
In the late 1980s, when the nationwide business wave emerged, Ying Guohong also devoted himself to the sea of market economy. He wandered into Guangzhou and Fujian alone, set up stalls and opened restaurants, until 1990 he began to devote himself to the flower art business.
Photo by Ying Guohong's studio Wang Jiehan
“At that time, there were very few private flower shops in Shanghai. They were basically state-owned flower and tree shops, and they didn’t do wholesale but only retail.” Ying Guohong recalled that when he went to Shanghai alone to find a channel for fresh flowers, it was difficult for him to buy flowers. His perseverance and enthusiasm finally touched a flower shop.
The supply problem was solved, and Ying Guohong started to teach himself bouquet packaging again.
In February 1990, 21-year-old Ying Guohong opened the first flower shop "Forget Me Not" in the central city of Huzhou.
Two years later, he invested in a rose planting base in Kunming and made his "first pot of gold".
For more than 30 years, Ying Guohong took the lead in launching imported New Year's Eve flowers in Huzhou, promoting flower etiquette telegrams, developing flower door-to-door delivery services, etc., and has been the "first person to eat crabs" in the territory of Huzhou flower shops.
The "Forget-me-not" flower shop has expanded and returned several times, and it has also witnessed the development of the flower industry in Huzhou.
"When the flower shop first opened, flowers were still a rare item for people, and they were often listed in the high-consumption list." Ying Guohong said that with the continuous development of social economy, people began to pursue spiritual enjoyment, which also gave flowers Consumption provides a broad market.
"In 1992, some rare and beautiful flowers, such as baby's breath and forget-me-not, were dependent on imports. However, 20 years later, a large number of fresh cut flowers such as chrysanthemums and carnations grown in Yunnan were exported to the Japanese and Russian markets." Ying Guohong said.
Ying Guohong often uses raw materials around him to create photos by Wang Jiehan
As people's aesthetic needs for flowers continue to escalate, new and young Internet celebrity flower shops have sprung up, and many traditional flower shops have reached a deadlock.
Since 2007, many of my colleagues around me have transformed into gardening and other industries, but Ying Guohong is still sticking to it.
He understands that an era of change in the floral industry is coming quietly.
"I have been immersed in the industry for so long, and I always do something meaningful." Ying Guohong believes that the sustainability of the industry is the integration of flower art into the education system, and it is related to the future career.
In 2008, Chinese traditional flower arrangement was approved as a national intangible cultural heritage project, which gave Ying Guohong a lot of confidence.
In the same year, he changed from selling flowers to teaching flower arrangement.
"The history of traditional Chinese flower arrangement can be traced back to 3000 years ago. There are different styles of folk flower arrangement, Buddhist flower arrangement, palace flower arrangement, and literati flower arrangement. The Chinese flower arrangement is clear, beautiful and elegant, which fits the historical and cultural heritage of Huzhou." Ying Guohong introduced.
"A history of calligraphy and calligraphy, half of it is in Huzhou." Literati of the past dynasties in Huzhou have made extraordinary achievements in poetry, calligraphy, painting, and printing, and literati flower arrangement is also traceable in the history of Huzhou.
After years of searching for senior flower arranging experts in China and participating in the cultural exchanges of flower arranging in Japan, South Korea, Malaysia and other foreign countries, Ying Guohong founded the "Chinese Literati Flower Road" floral art genre, inheriting and reproducing traditional Chinese literati flower arranging techniques and expressions, while focusing on innovation , Flower landscaping works have frequently won awards in national, provincial and municipal exhibitions.
At present, as a special part-time teacher of Huzhou Modern Agricultural Technology School, Ying Guohong has also established Ying Guohong's Flower Art Master Studio in the school to vigorously promote the cultivation of talents in the new technical field of flower arranging and flower art and promote employment.
At this stage, he is working hard to integrate literati flower arrangement with Huzhou culture for more people to understand, and through this simple and practical technique, he is bringing the art of flower arrangement into the homes of ordinary people.
"I hope that one day, the'literati flower road' can also become a national intangible cultural heritage." Ying Guohong said.
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