Peony flowers

Today I find some photos of beautiful peony flowers I kept previously, I love them so much, so I can't help taking them into a new home! The single peony flower is rather large, but each petal is so light/thin and transparent! I have sound reasons to believe that anyone can be shocked in their special beauty like me once he/she meets the peony flowers in reality at the first time. Here, they are coming!

And I also want to quote a wonderful ancient Chinese poem about peony flowers writter by Libai 李白--- an outstanding romantic poet in Tang Dynasty, being crowned as "Fairy Poet"(诗仙).

Do you know what Chinese national flower is? Yeah, you're right, it is our magnificent "Imperial peony flower" which completely lives up to this reputation.

清平调(其一)
唐.李白

云想衣裳花想容，
春风拂槛露华浓。
若非群玉山头见，
会向瑶台月下逢。

English Translation:

Pure Peace Tune (Part 1)

Splendid clouds and peony flowers remind us of Lady Yang's beauty,

Her charm is ever-present in sill-crossing spring breezes and condensate dews.

You'd see her where gods reside, either at the peak of the Celestial Mountains,

Or on the Jadeite Terrace under a heavenly moon.

source(If you would like to enjoy more wonderful ancient Chinese poems, please click source and read them.)

Another English translation version:

The Beautiful Lady Yang (Part 1)

(by a famous Chinese college professor as well as translation expert -- Xu Yuan Chong许渊冲! Alas, If only my American husband was still alive, he should be a Chinese college professor, too. Endless regret!)

Her robe is made of cloud, her face of peony flowers made,

Caressed by vernal breeze, freshened by morning dew,

Charming as Fairy Queen in her Mountain of Jade,

Or Goddess of the Moon in her Palace sky-blue.

In this poem, the author Libai compared peony flowers to Lady Yang, i.e. the Concubine Yang (杨贵妃) who was famous for her splendid beauty and her excellent talent for dancing and music, being favored by Tang Emperor Xuanzong deeply. They had the common interest in music, and Emperor Xuzong himself was a great musician, too.

So in Pure Peace Tune (Part 3), Libai depicted their ultimate happiness in an envious tone:

名花倾国两相欢，
长使君王带笑看。
解释春风无限恨，
沉香亭北倚阑干。

The peony flower and the reigning belle smile each to each,

His Majesty's eyes make a happy reach.

Thus dissolves the melancholy of the spring wind,

(Here "spring wind" is an alternate to Emperor. we can associate Concubine Yang with the delicate and charming peony flowers blooming in the "spring wind", her matchless beauty could help get rid of all worries of Emperor Xuzong.)

Amidst the balm in the Aloe Pavilion they lean on the railing at ease.

When I read this verse, the pleasent old days spent with my late American husband emerge in front of me vividly again. We sat together on a stone bench of Army Day park, Nanchang, watching the flowers, the bridge and the cystal water in the pool around us fancifully...

We both dare not to believe how it was true, Oh, did we really register in marriage formally in China? How incredible! How could we come together from online to offline with his crossing a distance of half of the earth? Sometimes our life can really be more beautiful and magical than a dream , OK?

Pitifully at that time my American husband and I both failed to realize that it is just due to the huge power of internet technology, we both didn't understand how we unexpectedly really married in China! At least for my part I feel I was really so lucky that I was unworthy of having such kind of huge success. It is really a fantastic experience--suddenly you enjoyed the utmost respect and got good money(My American husband could take Chinese Yuan out of Chinese bank ATM directly from his American bank card directly, no need to exchange American dollar into Chinese Yuan), entering the supreme government offices/houses and luxury restaurants in big cities you could only imagine in your dream, being a humble and poor Chinese -- it seems you climbed up to the top rung of the society ladder from the bottom at a stroke. Of course, you could also be envied by Chinese people to death, they tried their best to prevent you from obtaining the ultimate triumph by threatening and creating a variety of barriers to control and cheat you, etc. Till now, Chinese government and American government are still not in good terms, otherwise our dreamlike international marriage couldn't be transformed a huge tragedy! But now I have learned the fact that government is government, people is people! It is becoming a decentralized world with the advent of blockchain technology! Grasp your precious chance God/Internet/blockchain era bestows on you.

Maybe only God knows how I want to tell the people from all over the world that we are in such an amazing era, just as an American Little Fresh Meat in his website saying affectionately,(In recent years, I don't know since when exactly, it is fashionable to nickname the young and fresh male youth Little Fresh Meat小鲜肉 in China.)

Life is so abundant, We are living in the best time in human history, we have the best information to live a life beyond our craziest dream. If you really knew what was possible, it would brings tears to your eyes. There are people out there making $500-$1000 a day from laptops! And a laptop can be powered from any location! Wrap your head around that!!(any location!!!)

I'm telling you, the computer chip and the internet has changed our whole world forever and ever and ever!

I promise to you, all things are possible!!!

Don't care what a teacher, paster or professor says to you, if it's a negative-nancy comment, they have no idea what they are talking about. All things are possible!

I want to add some words: I have proved to the whole world that my craziest dream has been true this life--I married a wonderful American scholar who I worship with my whole soul and life! How can you imagine a humble and poor countryside Chinese woman in the underclass have the chance to marry an American man born in New York? However, in network times, Not only are all things possible, but also they are destinated to be a reality more and more in the future!

Oh, I'm a little straying from the point, I'd better return to Tang Dynasty again for a while!

It is said that at that time in the national capital Chang'an city (Now it is named Xi'an西安, capital city of Shan'xi province陕西省) there was a backyard gardon with a lot of pear trees, especially being used by Emperor Xuanzong for musical performances and as his own school to train the professional musicians. So till now, in China the operatic circle calls itself as "the field of pear gandon"(梨园界), operatic players are called as "the disciples of pear gardon"(梨园子弟). Emperor Xuzong was titled as " the founder/God of the operatic circle"(梨园界祖师爷).

Emperor Xuanzong and Concubine Yang cooperated perfectly in music and dance, they created the large-scale classical "Rainbow skirt and Feather Garment"霓裳羽衣 song/tune and dance seperately. Although their love and happy time ended on the miserable death/suicide of Concubine Yang because of a war known to history as "Rebellion of An Lushan", which also resulted in the fading/closing of the famous "Silk Road"(丝绸之路)-- an ancient network of trade routes from Chang'an connecting the east and west from Chang'an to Middle East as well as Europe, (My late husband was a great American scholar, with a strong interest in Chinese history. Sometimes he could even tell me a few Chinese historical stories I have never known. ) it has inspired countless later Chinese poets and literary intellectuals to write so many beautiful and soul-touching poems and books based on their love story, such as the famous long poem "Everlasting regret(长恨歌) ", (If possible, I will share it in my next blog.) and the full-length novel "Palace of Eternal life" (长生殿), etc.

At the same time, there are a lot of traditional Chinese paintings on the subject of "Peony flowers and Concubine Yang"! Let's enjoy them together!

source

Some permanent artistic images created in Chinese Perking opera also originated from the gorgeous beauty of Concubine Yang like "The Drunken Beauty"(贵妃醉酒)!

source

So far, the newest and popular movie "Legend of the Demon Cat"(妖猫传) by the well-known directer Chen Kaige (陈凯歌) just drew its materials from the story of Concubine Yang. Please watch the movie scene of how "Fairy Poet" Libai李白 wrote this famous poney poem for praising the breathtaking beauty of Concubine Yang directly! (Thanks to our internet era.)

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If anyone is interested in learning Chinese or Mandarin reciting art, please remember I am always here for you! Feel free to contact me!!