Flower Mirror

Name: Flower Mirror
ISBN: 9787559453679

陈淏 / 伊钦恒Jiangsu Phoenix Literature and Art Publishing House · ChinaJan 2022

Rating 4.2

Word count: 184K words
Chapters: 359
ISBN: 9787559453679

Summary

Flower Mirror is a monograph on flowers and plants from Qing dynasty China.

The book consists of seven volumes. Volume One, "A New Calendar of Flowers," lists in concrete detail the monthly work of transplanting, cutting, layering, sowing, seed collecting, watering, and so on.

Volume Two, "Eighteen Methods of Cultivating Flowers," covers the characteristics of flowers and methods such as grafting, cutting, transplanting, sowing, watering, earthing up, pest control, and forcing blooms, as well as bonsai, vase arrangements, and garden layout. This is the heart of the book, and many of the techniques it sets out are highly original.

Volumes Three to Six respectively introduce 65 species of flowering trees and shrubs, 50 species of flowering and fruiting plants, 78 species of vines, and 102 species of herbaceous flowers, 295 species in all. An appendix at the end describes methods for raising birds, beasts, fish, and insects.

Editor's review

Flower Mirror is the classic work of the Qing dynasty horticulturist Chen Hao, completed during the Kangxi reign and widely regarded as the culmination of classical Chinese horticulture. As an editor, I believe its value goes far beyond that of an ordinary guide to flower cultivation: it systematically distills the flower-growing experience of earlier ages, fuses the author's lifetime of practical wisdom, and displays a rigorous natural-history attitude alongside a graceful literary sensibility. Arranged under twelve categories—floral registers, cultivation, placement, watering, and others—it records in detail the habits and propagation methods of more than three hundred flowers, while conveying the traditional Chinese philosophy of "the unity of heaven and humanity" and its aesthetic temperament. Today, reading Flower Mirror offers three distinctive rewards: first, as a window onto premodern natural history and the aesthetics of daily life, its observations of plant phenology and soil acidity embody a plain scientific spirit; second, its prose has literary value in its own right, concise and elegant, often drawing on poetry and allusion; third, its guiding principles of "adapting to local conditions" and "following each plant's nature" still offer profound inspiration to modern gardeners. Compared with modern horticultural books, it has less technical illustration and more humanistic warmth and historical depth, and is suited to unhurried reading.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers with a strong interest in traditional Chinese horticulture, natural history, or the history of premodern daily life
Gardening enthusiasts who grow plants and hope to draw planting philosophy and practical inspiration from classical wisdom
Readers who enjoy Ming and Qing note-style essays and elegant prose and seek aesthetic pleasure in the act of reading
Professionals or students in garden design, classical literature, or related fields who need a reference work

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting a practical gardening manual with abundant color photographs, modern scientific diagrams, and detailed step-by-step instructions
Readers seeking fast-paced entertainment or strongly plotted fiction, with limited patience for classical Chinese prose and informational content

Reading tips

Begin by reading the preface and general principles to understand the book's framework and the author's purpose, then choose a topic of interest (such as a particular category of flowers) or proceed volume by volume
Keep a modern plant guide or online tool at hand to compare the book's old plant names with current ones, deepening understanding and cross-checking against modern knowledge
Do not feel obliged to finish it in one sitting; it is better suited to bedside browsing, dipping into the chapters that match the season and savoring the ancients' delight in "the fine moods of the four seasons, shared by all".

About the publisher

Jiangsu Phoenix Literature and Art Publishing House China · Founded in 1958

Jiangsu Phoenix Literature and Art Publishing House focuses on literary publishing while also covering the humanities, social sciences, and books on art and daily life. Its approximately 1,535 titles in the database span social novels, world history, design, science fiction, classic works, and film and television: they include modern Chinese literary classics by Lu Xun such as A Madman's Diary: The Complete Short Stories of Lu Xun, Call to Arms, Four Generations Under One Roof, and Teahouse, as well as foreign literary memoirs like Stefan Zweig's The World of Yesterday. In science fiction it offers Asimov's Galactic Empire series, while in architecture and art it publishes Liu Dunzhen's Classical Gardens of Suzhou and design titles from Phoenix Space. Its authors are concentrated among classic writers such as Lu Xun, Zweig, and Asimov, with translators including Liang Xijiang, Zhong Haonan, and Ye Lihua. Its overall character is built on classic works while embracing genre fiction and visual culture. Public information is limited, and this introduction is based on the titles in the database.

版权信息
校注《花镜》引言
丁澎原序
张国泰原序
自序
校注主要参考文献
卷一花历新裁
正月占验
正月事宜
二月占验
二月事宜
三月占验
三月事宜
四月占验
四月事宜
五月占验
五月事宜
六月占验
六月事宜
七月占验
七月事宜
八月占验
八月事宜
九月占验
九月事宜
十月占验
十月事宜
十一月占验
十一月事宜
十二月占验
十二月事宜
卷二课花十八法
课花大略
辨花性情法
种植位置法
接换神奇法
分栽有时法
扦插易生法
移花转垛法
过贴巧合法
下种及期法
收种贮子法
浇灌得宜法
培壅可否法
治诸虫蠹法
枯树活树法
变花催花法
种盆取景法
养花插瓶法
整顿删科法
花香耐久法
花间日课四则
花园款设八则
花园自供五则
卷三花木类考
松
柏
梓
牡丹
蜡梅
山茶
瑞香
结香
迎春花
玉兰
丁香
辛夷
杜鹃
金丝桃
夹竹桃
贴梗海棠
垂丝海棠
山踯躅
粉团花
八仙花
紫荆花
金雀花
山矾花
桑
佛桑花
南天竹
合欢花
㯃
柳
杨
柽柳
槟榔
虎刺
蜜蒙花
平地木
栀子花
火石榴
楝
椿
枫
楮
梧桐
黄杨木
椒
茱萸
六月雪
茶
槐
紫薇
白菱
木槿
桂
皂荚
棕榈
凤尾蕉
芙蓉
红豆树
木兰
茶梅花
攀枝花
桕
石楠
铁树
冬青
榆
卷四花果类考
梅
樱桃
杏
桃
李
梨
木瓜
棠梨
郁李
林檎
西府海棠
柰
文官果
山楂
柿
橘
橙（蜜橙）
金柑
香橼
佛手柑
石榴
枣
杨梅
橄榄
荔枝
龙眼
椰子
银杏
胡桃
枳椇
无花果
枇杷
栗
榛
榧
天仙果
古度子
葡萄
猕猴桃
苌楚
□薁
扬摇子（杨桃）
波罗蜜（树波萝）
菩提子（蒲桃）
人面子
都念子
木竹子
韶子
芭蕉
通草花
卷五藤蔓类考
竹
灵芝
凌霄花
真珠兰
茉莉
万年藤
紫藤
枸杞
天蓼
棣棠花
蔷薇
玫瑰
月季
木香花
野蔷薇
十姊妹
缫丝花
荼䕷花
千岁蘽
柳穿鱼
珍珠花
玉蕊花
锦带花
鸳鸯藤
锦荔枝
铁线莲
史君子
虎耳草
翠云草
淡竹叶
射干
牵牛花
马兜铃
鼓子花
五味花
薜荔
水木樨
壶芦
紫茉莉
藊豆
龙胆草
落花生
大戟
葛
紫花地丁
茜草
独摇草
虎杖
落葵
款冬花
仙人掌
玉簇
钩藤
清风藤
长生草
藤萝
零余子
土参
萎蕤
兰子
酒杯藤
侯骚子
千岁子
薏苡
马槟榔
蔓椒
文章草
萝藦
雪下红
胡椒
浣草
栝楼
五爪龙
西国草
榼藤
蓬蘽
千里及
卷六花草类考
芍药
瓯兰
蕙兰
建兰
箬兰
泽兰
水仙
长春花
荷包牡丹
红豆蔻
笑靥花
罂粟
虞美人
蔓菁
青鸾花
指甲花
蝴蝶花
紫罗栏
山丹
书带草
剪春罗
洛阳花
石竹
白鲜花
王母珠
醒头香
蜀葵
锦葵
向日葵
萱花
鹿葱
玉簪花
紫玉簪
桔梗
菖蒲
艾
夜合花
凤仙花
红蓝
雨久花
荷花
地涌金莲
凫葵
茈菰
芡
菱
金灯花（忽地笑）
山蓟
阶前草
烟花
夜落金钱
杜若
决明
一瓣莲
滴滴金
胡麻
蓝
秋海棠
素馨花
金线草
秋牡丹
剪秋纱
小茴香
荠苨花
莴苣
青葙
秋葵花
鸡冠花
十样锦
老少年
雁来黄
曼陀罗
菊花
蓝菊
万寿菊
僧鞋菊
西番菊
扶桑菊
双鸾菊
孩儿菊
兰
白芷
零陵香
蘼芜
美人蕉
千日红
香葇
紫草
蓼花
芦花
馥香
番椒
棉花
禁宫花
蓍草
细辛花
蓖麻
吉祥草
白薇
□草花
万年青
千两金
附录
养禽鸟法
养兽畜法
养鳞介法
养昆虫法
修订后记
出版后记

FAQ

Does the content of Flower Mirror still offer practical guidance today?

Its specific cultivation techniques must be viewed critically, given changed times and conditions, but its core methods of observation, its principle of following the seasons, and its deep understanding of plant habits remain highly valuable for reference. Many of its principles concerning soil, water, and pruning accord with modern horticultural science.

The book is in classical Chinese—is the barrier to reading very high?

The book is written in the accessible classical Chinese of the Qing dynasty and has been modernized with careful collation, so the language is relatively plain and easy to follow. Specialized terms may be annotated. Readers with a general grounding in classical Chinese can read it smoothly, consulting a reference for the occasional obscure term.

What are the features of this edition (Jiangsu Phoenix Literature and Art Publishing House)?

This edition is based on a fine Qing dynasty text, carefully collated and typeset to improve reading comfort while preserving the original. Some editions may include an introduction or brief annotations to help readers understand the background. Consult the specific edition's description for details.

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

陈淏 Author

Chen Hao, about whose life only limited public information is available, is known through his surviving work as an important Qing-dynasty author in the field of horticulture and ornamental plants. His representative work, Hua Jing (The Mirror of Flowers), is a dedicated treatise that systematically records knowledge of ornamental plant cultivation and garden management, covering flower and tree varieties, seasonal phenology, planting and maintenance, and courtyard layout, combining practical value with a natural-history flavor. The book is clearly organized and plain in language; it absorbs the experience of earlier agricultural manuals and flower catalogues while incorporating the author's own observations and summaries of daily gardening, giving it a transitional significance in traditional botany and garden culture. The work circulated widely and is often regarded by later generations as an important reference for studying ancient flower cultivation and literati life. Because historical sources are scattered, Chen Hao's dates, native place, and official career are difficult to verify, yet the format and content of Hua Jing show that he was familiar with gardening practice in the Jiangnan region, valued adapting to local conditions and seasons, and wrote in a practical rather than empty style. Reading the book today offers both traditional horticultural knowledge and a sense of the ancients' pleasure in closeness to nature and affection for plants.

伊钦恒 Author

Yi Qinheng: publicly available information about this author is limited, and details such as birth and death dates, native place, and educational background have not been clearly recorded. Judging from the works that survive, he long devoted attention to the organization and interpretation of traditional Chinese writings on flowers, trees, and horticulture. Two of his works are held in the collection: Huajing (The Mirror of Flowers) and Qunfangpu Quanshi (An Interpretation of the Treatise on the Assembly of Fragrances). Both center on ancient botanical treatises and combine popular science with literary appreciation: on the one hand, they sort out flower and tree species, cultivation techniques, and phenological knowledge; on the other, they emphasize close reading of the text and the transmission of cultural interest. His style balances annotation with interpretation, and his plain language aims to make classical horticultural texts more accessible to contemporary readers. Although his personal record is unclear, his choice of subjects shows familiarity with, and dedication to, traditional Chinese flower culture. Work of this kind helps popularize classical botanical knowledge and sustain the tradition of horticultural writing.