Romance at the closing ceremony of the Winter Olympics What is the willow that is folded in the farewell?

On the evening of February 20, the closing ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics was held at the Bird's Nest at the National Stadium, where a picture of weeping willows was presented in the center of the venue with the dancers' footsteps, and the dancers held glowing willow branches in their hands, gathered together from all around, and finally, the color of the ice and snow gradually disappeared, replaced by the vibrant green of the venue. The program "Folding Willows sending love" has touched many netizens, calling this "Chinese romance".

To come is to welcome the guest pine, to send is to fold the willow. A song "Farewell" sounded over the Bird's Nest, expecting all the athletes, coaches, and all friends who came to Beijing to take this willow branch and take away the friendship of the Chinese people. The Beijing News reporter interviewed relevant experts to talk about what kind of willow was folded at the closing ceremony of the Winter Olympic Games?

At the closing ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympic Games, the "folding willows send affection" link. Photo: Xinhua News Agency

A willow tree that is soft on the outside and strong on the inside

The curtain opened and ended, and a race of ice and snow was brought to an end. For everyone, the most precious memories are hidden in those fleeting moments, there are laughter, tears, shocks, and emotions. A folded willow, given to the guests who are about to go far away, those intersecting eyes, those blooming smiles, those sincere hugs, are all carried in it.

"The willow branch shape used at the closing ceremony of the Winter Olympics may be a weeping willow, mostly growing in southern China." Zhang Zhixiang, a professor at Beijing Forestry University, said that weeping willow is a tall deciduous tree, produced in the Yangtze River and Yellow River basins, cultivated in other places, mostly used in landscaping, used as a street tree, high ornamental value, "willow trees since ancient times have the tradition of doing 'sending off', 'farewell' things, its vitality is tenacious, is a wide ecological plant, whether it is inserted, upside down, whether the soil is wet or arid, can survive." ”

Zhang Zhixiang introduced that there are many forms of willow trees, including trees, shrubs, etc., "There are 275 kinds of willow trees in our country, and from the overall point of view, the entire willow plants have a very strong ability to adapt to the environment, from subtropical trees in the south, to shrubs in the desert, to willow trees creeping on the ground in alpine areas, you can see its figure."

Both water-loving and barren-tolerant, the tenacious vitality of willow plants has made botanists relish it. Zhang Zhixiang believes that the use of weeping willows as a performance element at the closing ceremony of the Winter Olympics, while the shape is beautiful, it can show vitality through beautiful green, he said: "The shape is soft, but there is a tough temperament, soft on the outside and tough on the inside." ”

Willow trees are very common plants on the mainland

"Between 11,000 and 8,500 years ago, there were willow plants near Jiaozhou Bay in Qingdao." According to the data, the willow tree is also one of the earliest and most widely distributed plants recorded in the mainland, and the word "willow" has appeared in the prehistoric oracle bones, and the Chinese willow tree has been cultivated for more than 4,000 years.

According to historical records, the ancient Shu Yu King sealed the tree to determine the boundary, using a willow tree. "Willow is planted in a particularly wide area, easy to survive, and easy to identify, and is a particularly commonly used plant in Chinese garden landscapes." Zhang Zhixiang said that willow trees can be seen everywhere in the mainland, whether it is next to the river or in the desert, there are willow trees, "the ornamental nature of the willow tree has a high status in China, it is a tree species that people cannot do without in the entire historical development of China." ”

Zhu Ziqing's essay "Lotus Pond Moonlight" mentions the trees on both sides of the lotus pond, using "willows and unknown trees" to describe, Zhang Zhixiang said: "This can also see the status of willows on the mainland from the side, not only the people like to plant willow trees behind the villageside houses, literati and inkers also have a fondness for it, not to mention the willow mentioned in classical poetry." ”

"The reason why the willow tree is so well-known in China is not only because it is easy to feed, but also because it is ornamental, and in terms of its function, it is also used to make charcoal, provide fuel, and some varieties of willow can also be used for medicine, such as the active ingredient in aspirin, which was first extracted from the bark of the willow tree." Zhang Zhixiang said.

The historical origin of the farewell of the folded willow

In ancient China, every spring blossomed, the ancients had to travel far, in the inconvenient past, every trip, do not know what year it is to see each other again, therefore, the ancients paid special attention to farewell.

"In the past, I used to be, Willow Yiyi; now I come to think, rain and snow." This is the description of the willow in the Book of Poetry, and it is also the first mention of the custom of "folding the willow to send off". Zhang Yiwu, a professor at peking university's department of Chinese, told reporters that there are two main theories about the historical origin of this custom.

"One theory is that the willow harmonic sound 'stay' means to stay, and gives willow branches at the time of parting to express inseparable emotions; another theory is because the willow tree has a tenacious and exuberant vitality, with willow branches far away, it can grow anywhere, borrowing willow trees to bless people who travel far away with their encounters, and expressing the emotion of cherishing farewell and nostalgia." Zhang Yiwu proposed that the use of the image of folding willows to bid farewell was more common in the Han and Tang dynasties, and has since become a basic symbol in Chinese culture.

"Weicheng is raining and dusty, and the guest house is green and willow-colored." Persuade the jun to drink a glass of wine, and go out of the west to yang guan without a reason. This poem by Wang Wei's "Sending Yuan Er envoy Anxi" is a farewell poem. It is mentioned that around the guest house, the branches and leaves of the willow tree are green and tender, and when they leave to say goodbye, they do not know where to start.

Zhang Yiwu said: "In ancient times, there were often long pavilions, willow trees, the so-called sending people thousands of miles, there is always a difference, folding willows here to express reluctance at the same time, in fact, there is also the meaning of spring, all said five nine six nine, along the river to see the willow, willow trees in the spring to grow new shoots, so there are also blessings for the send-off people in it, the meaning of which is very rich. ”

The Chinese romance of the world

Some netizens said that the surprise given by the Beijing Winter Olympics is echoed from beginning to end. Whether it is the countdown to the 24 solar terms at the opening ceremony or the folding willow in the closing ceremony, there is a kind of Chinese romance. Zhang Yiwu said: "Chinese has a lot of meaning to plants since ancient times, such as Meilan bamboo chrysanthemum, the so-called Chinese romance, which is that we synchronize the materials of nature through feelings and metaphors, and use synaesthesia techniques to pin down and transmit emotions. ”

The willow trees are light and distant, and the spring breeze blows through, and the posture is beautiful. Zhang Yiwu believes: "What is embodied in it is the Chinese spirit, which shows the life of Chinese, and the so-called Chinese-style romance is the kind of romance that our cultural psychology and spiritual temperament are very compatible." "Willow Yiyi, let people seem to see a farewell picture, next to the flowing water in the south of the river, on the northwest side, the breeze sweeps by, gently hugging the waist of friends, people and nature cooperate, so that the farewell becomes subtle and timeless.

In ancient times, a separation was extremely precious, but now, because of the development of transportation and communication technology, it has become very easy to send off, because mobility is one of the characteristics of modern society. Perhaps, people no longer need to fold willows to send lovesickness, and no longer have these romantic images throughout life. Zhang Zhixiang mentioned: "Willow trees, in the field of ecological restoration in the mainland, have also made great contributions, mainly in the north of the dry willow, used in north China, northwest china and other places, similarly, in the construction of beautiful villages in the north, willow trees as a plant that beautifies the environment, and plays a huge role." ”

Some people are reminiscing about yesterday's warmth, and some people are looking up to the future. Zhang Yiwu believes that the willow tree, as a metaphor, is a precious wealth accumulated by traditional Chinese society, he said: "Small bridges flowing water, winding paths, this is a unique oriental aesthetic, a subtle force." ”

Crossing the big rivers, gently caressing the flowing water of the small bridge, experiencing thousands of years of fighting and shifting stars, between breathing and inhaling, the Chinese people have always coexisted with heaven and earth, playing a song that belongs to the oriental aesthetics of Chinese.

Beijing News reporter Chen Lu

Edited by Zhang Shujing Proofread by Xue Jingning