Jiangnan Lotus Fan Surface

Author: Lu Shishu
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2000-01-01
Features: Like my generation, we had to read classical Chinese in the third grade of elementary school. At that time, our classical Chinese textbook was Classical Chinese with Annotations. During classical Chinese classes, we followed our teacher, stretching our voices and swaying our heads, reciting loudly. Looking back, that scene was truly amusing. At a young age, we had already read many famous classical Chinese passages. Works like A Return to My Homeland, Ode to the Yueyang Tower, and Eulogy to the Ancient Battlefield were all memorized perfectly. The texts were melodious and the sentences resonant, reciting them was like singing, and it was very enjoyable, which made them memorable and easy to recite fluently anytime.
At that young age, with limited comprehension, we didn’t seek deep understanding of the texts but only focused on reading them smoothly and reciting them effortlessly. However, the philosophy contained in some passages did indeed move me, even at the age of less than ten. Song Zhou Dunyi’s Ode to the Lotus was one such piece. When the teacher explained the text, he moved us deeply by describing the form and characteristics of the lotus, praising those noble figures in the world who were "uncontaminated by the mud, purified by clear water without allure, straight and unbranched, fragrant and ever clearer, standing tall and upright." I remember he first recited two lines from Ode to the Lotus—"The chrysanthemum is the hermit of flowers; the peony is the noble of flowers." Then, he earnestly said to us, "Let us be like the lotus and remain pure and noble throughout our lives!" The philosophy of Ode to the Lotus and the teacher’s teachings benefited me throughout my life. Even today, decades later, I can still recite this beautiful text of only 120 words, yet with infinite depth, word for word.
When I held the original fan-shaped art book by Lu Shishu, themed around the lotus, the scenes of me stretching my voice and reciting Ode to the Lotus loudly with the teacher, as well as the moments of attentively listening to his teachings, resurfaced vividly in my mind. I am no expert in art, and facing this stack of works, I find it difficult to speak from an aesthetic perspective. However, these many illustrations truly moved me with their diverse forms, as if allowing me to touch the character of the lotus and taste its essence. They are tranquil, noble, untainted by the world, and "can be viewed from afar but not touched intimately"—truly the "gentleman of flowers!"
At the turn of the century, we face a period of historical transformation. Just as every thing has both positive and negative sides, in our era, alongside vitality, there are also decay and decline; alongside solemnity, there is also debauchery and shamelessness. These vices are not the product of this period of transformation but rather the accumulation of centuries. With the tide of the market economy surging, dregs resurface, and murky waters flow, which is inevitable. At such a time, do we not need even more to promote the character and spirit of the lotus? Perhaps Lu Shishu’s compilation of this fan-shaped art book, themed around the lotus, was precisely inspired by this.
Indeed, even if dozens or hundreds of such art books are published, how can they possibly correct even a fraction of the negative trends in society! However, shaping the soul, calling for conscience, suppressing evil, and promoting good are indeed the duties of artists. The efforts made by Lingnan Fine Arts Publishing House in this matter should be recognized and praised.
This book is a collection of fan-shaped artworks themed around the lotus. Song Zhou Guo Yi’s Ode to the Lotus is included, describing the form and characteristics of the lotus and movingly praising those noble figures in the world who are "uncontaminated by the mud, purified by clear water without allure, straight and unbranched, fragrant and ever clearer, standing tall and upright." Through this fan-shaped art book, readers will be immersed in the realm of the lotus’s fragrance and purity.