Dunhuang murals belong to the World Cultural Heritage, with different aesthetic characteristics and artistic styles from secular paintings, plant patterns as an extremely important form of artistic expression has always run through it, the murals are rich in flowers and trees, lush forests and grasses, and rich in species connotations.
The plant in the Dunhuang murals - peony
Photo by Li Guangmin
Peony (Paeonia suffruticosa Andr.) is a perennial deciduous shrub of the family Peonyceae in the family Buttercupaceae, a woody flower endemic to China. Peony flowers are large and delicious, known as "national color heavenly fragrance", known as China's national flower. The flowers are single-branched, two-and-three compound leaves, the leaf surface is green and hairless, and the back is white powder. The flowering period is In May and the fruiting period is In June.
Peony is a precious flower inherent in China and has great ornamental value. Peony flowers are colorful, jade smile pearl fragrance, magnificent, crowned, known as the "king of flowers" reputation. The Tang Dynasty poet Liu Yuxi said: "Only peonies are true to the national color, and the capital is moved when the flowers are in bloom." "At the same time, peony has both medicinal value, and its root bark is used in medicine, commonly known as peony skin, which is a Chinese herbal medicine often used to cool blood and dispel stasis."
Peonies in frescoes
(Source: China Wildlife Conservation Association Public Account Editor Wang Qiang)