Rejuvenation

In the early 1980s, however, the Chinese floral arranging was rejuvenated largely through the efforts of the Women's Garden and Art Club of the Republic of China in Taiwan who initiated an exhibit "The Art of Classical Chinese Flower Arranging" (1984) at the National Museum of History in Taipei. Such exhibits, since organized annually, refocused public attention on this long standing expression of Chinese culture, and led to the establishment of such supportive organizations as the consortium Chinese Floral Arts Foundation.

Floral practice declined

With the host of political and military up-heavals in early 20th-century China, traditional fower arranging was relegated to a minor concern and declined to near extinction. Meanwhile, Japanese flower enthusiasts adopted the form, adapting and developing magnificent arrangement techniques that , by the first quarter of the 20th century, overshadowed the earlier Chinese styles both on the personal level and in special societies.

Traditional Chinese Flower Arranging

The art of Chinese flower arranging originated 1500 years ago. Flower arrangements were used for festivals and as religious offering, place decorations, and expressions of scholarly appreciation. Eventually the art form grew to be so popular that a special day was set aside each year in mid-February as the "Birthday of Flowers" and became the nation's second most celebrated annual holiday.

Flower arranging reached the peak of its popularity in the Song Dynasty (960-1279 A.D.) for by then it was no longer the privilege of the upper class, as it had been during the Tang Dynasty (617-907 A.D.), but was embraced as well by the common people. It subsequently became accepted as one of four essential crafts (along with burning incense, making tea, and appreciating painting) that all cultured people were expected to learn. At the time of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 A.D.) it became fully professionalized, complete with text books, trained teachers. During this era, too, the form changed towards a preference for potted plants that could be made into living compositions.

Rosa Zee's Bio

Rosa Zee has been dedicated her time on promoting the Chinese Culture for years. Currently she spent two months each year to study the Traditional Chinese Floral Arranging in Taiwan.

What is Traditional Chinese Floral Arranging? This is a new knowledge not only to the Americans in general but also to the people who were born and raised in Taiwan or China such as herself.

Chinese flower arrangement had begun during Northern and Southern Dynasties when Buddhism Spread into China, bringing its custom of offering flowers at temple altars. By the Five Dynasties (907-960 A.D.) Emperor Li Hou Zhu had made the floral art an imperial affair by holding an annual flower arrangement exhibition at his palace. The Song Dynasty (960-1279 A.D.) with its literati paintings, was the flourish of literati flower arrangement. By the time of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 A.D.), the art was practiced widely amongst the populace, used in homes and during special festive occasions.

The life of the traditional floral arranging took a turn when the last stage of the Qing Dynasty had a great admiration to the western arts. And the recent one hundred years of un-stability of the Chinese Governments. These two major reasons cost the arts of the floral arranging extincted. Either mainland China or Taiwan were able to maintain the knowledge of such arts. Not until 30 years ago, a group of high ranking official's wives, in Taiwan, commissioned the staff of the Nation History Museum to research the possibility of recovering the knowledge. Through the historical documents and paintings, the Traditional Chinese Floral Arts was revived.

Rosa Zee's Bio: Master Degree in Liberal Arts

California Teaching Credential – in Multiple Subjects

San Marino Unified School District Board Member in '93-'97

Pacific Asian Museum – Director of Outreach and Volunteer Coordinator in '97-'04

Author of the “The Roads to Success for the New Chinese- American Generation”- Published in Taiwan, Sept. 2008

Licensed instructor and member of the Chinese Floral Arts Foundation