China's traditional culture has a long history, and the Chinese goldfish and the goldfish culture derived from it are undoubtedly a delicate and beautiful wave in this wide and deep river. Goldfish is China's "national fish", known as the beauty of oriental holy fish. Goldfish originated from China, and the inheritance and development of nearly a thousand years have made this beautiful elf deeply imprinted on the mark of traditional Chinese culture.
The source of traditional Chinese culture is the essence of the thought of Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism, which are opposed and unified. Throughout the entire development process of goldfish, the ideas of these three schools are subtly influencing the development direction of Chinese goldfish.
Confucianism | Goldfish culture
During the Eastern Han Dynasty, Buddhism was introduced to Middle-earth, and the Six Dynasties entered the Sui and Tang Dynasties. The buddhist creeds of abstaining from killing, releasing life, and purifying sentient beings gradually became deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. People not only released them on a large scale, but also built a large number of release ponds, and made them clear in the form of laws. This is recorded in a large number of historical records.
(1): There is a record in the "Original Order of Things" that "Tang Suzong Qiantian ordered the world to place eighty-one release ponds, which began with Liang and the release ponds began with Tang Ye";
(2) The "Fang Yu Sheng" also records that "The late King Qin Ruosong of the Tianxi Dynasty used the West Lake as a release pond, forbade fishing birds, and prayed for the blessing of the lord." Since then, on April 8 every year, tens of thousands of people in the county will be on the lake, and the feather scales will be placed, in millions, all of them will look northwest to the head of the auditor, looking up at the ten million years of life. ”
Among the released animals, the rare colored crucian carp that lives in natural waters, because of its strange color and a certain mysterious meaning, is protected and worshiped as a spiritual relic given by God, and is the first object to be released. Therefore, the Buddhist act of release provides an opportunity for primitive goldfish to be distinguished from nature and develop independently. In the subsequent conscious cultivation of goldfish, all aspects of it reflect the ideas of Taoism and Confucianism.
The shape of the goldfish is square and rounded compared to the flattened and long of its ancestors, and it seems to contain the consciousness of the heavenly circle. The color of the goldfish varies from pure color to two colors to five flowers and three colors, which seems to correspond to Lao Tzu's philosophical thought of Daosheng one, one life two, two birth three, and three life of all things. At the same time, red and white, black and white symbolize the change of yin and yang, and the blue, white, red, black and yellow of the five flowers coincide with the colors of the five elements and five squares. The personality of the goldfish seems to let us see Zhuang Zhou's attitude of doing nothing and swimming freely. The aesthetic of the goldfish reflects the Confucian concepts of courtesy, benevolence, harmony and moderation.
Elegant | Naming of goldfish
The naming of the goldfish also reveals a deep traditional cultural atmosphere. Among them, some are based on the traditional auspicious beast and bird meaning, such as dragon's eye, phoenix tail, crane top, lion's head, tiger head, panda and so on. Some are named after vivid morphological features, such as hairpin flowers, happy days, agate eyes, plum blossom dots, double lanterns shining snow, peony fairies, white dragon jade, gold full of ground, lion rolling hydrangeas and so on. Some directly borrow the names of words and songs, such as the "dot lips" of the mouth inlaid with red, the "joy of the heavenly dragon", the "eye charm" of the blister eyes, the "bead curtain roll" of the gills, the "Linglong jade" of the pile of flesh, the "Yihuo pearl" of the pearl, the "Yaotai Moon" of the silver egg, the "little peach" of the red egg, the "Manjiang Red" of the red dragon, the "purple jade" of the purple dragon, the "dark night cry" of the oolong, the "green jade case" of the green dragon, the "throwing ball music" of the pompom, the "one calyx red" of the red head, the "Swallow Returning Beam" of the swallowtail, the "Doli" of the five-colored small orchid, Five-color pompom "colorful knot concentricity" and so on.
Willow Youth Painting
Auspicious | The meaning of the goldfish
In Chinese characters, the "fish" of goldfish is homophonous with "Yu", so the goldfish has the mouth color of Jinyu. In order to symbolize that there is more than enough for the year and more than enough for the auspicious celebration, people often bring ornaments with the image of goldfish into their homes. In the painting of the long corridor of the Summer Palace, on the brick carvings of the houses in southern Anhui, and in the screen panes of the Suzhou garden, the image of goldfish is everywhere. During the New Year, the window flowers of goldfish paper cuts are pasted on the windows, the goldfish new year paintings of Yang Liuqing are hung on the wall, a jar of goldfish with shining scales is raised on the table - Yuan Baohong, and a big red couplet is pasted on the door, which reads: "The years enter the yuanbao, and every year there is gold surplus." Goldfish is also in harmony with gold and jade, gold in the ancient language often refers to daughters, jade generally refers to sons, so goldfish full pond is gold and jade full of hall, symbolizing the grandchildren full of hall, people prosper.
During the Spring Festival, they are accustomed to raising some goldfish or painting a big fat man holding a big goldfish on the New Year painting, which means "people are rich and prosperous, and there is more than one year", "fish" and "yu" are harmonious, symbolizing that life is getting better and better every year, and auspicious celebration is more than enough; for example, the "fish", "pond" and "jade" and "tang" in "goldfish full pond" and "jinyu full hall" are all words of joy and celebration, indicating wealth. According to the ancient cultural implications, "gold" is metaphorically a girl, "jade" is a boy, and "golden jade full hall" is "full of children". In addition, like the Red Tiger Head Ball (Shou Planet), it takes the meaning of prolonging life and blessing the stars, expressing a good wish. The family raises some goldfish in a glass jar, with turquoise aquatic grass and rockery, five-needle pine bonsai on the side, placed on the desk, with lights, fish scales sparkling, clear water leisurely, very beautiful, but also a symbol of Song Crane Shou, heart-warming, endless fun.
The goldfish is a symbol of peace, happiness, beauty and wealth. In 1954, Premier Zhou Enlai presented goldfish to Asian and African countries, and Chinese goldfish flew "as envoys" to various countries to become a messenger of peace and promote friendly exchanges between the people of all countries. In ancient times, China gave the goldfish a beautiful symbol and sustenance.
Qing Qian Hui'an", "Cooking Tea Washing"
Poetry | A thousand years of chanting
The goldfish was a frequent visitor to the writers and inkers, and the great romantic poet Qu Yuan wrote in the "Nine Songs and Rivers": "Riding on the white weasel to chase the wenyu, and swimming with the female xi river". The mandarin fish here is the original goldfish (goldfish is called the mandarin fish in ancient times, and the text and the pattern are connected, which means a fish with color patterns. Ancient books record: fish have a literati, now crested carp and the like). After visiting the West Lake and viewing the goldfish there, Su Dongpo gladly wrote down the "Visit to Nanping Zhenshi" praising the goldfish: "I know the Nanping golden crucian carp, and I come back to attach the sill to scatter the JaiYu." He also got a heart seal from the old society, like a handwritten book for former students in the province. ”
Zhao Shaoang goldfish Chinese painting
Painting | And a symbol of beauty
The breeze blows away the shadow of the suspicious flowers, and the water marks are faint and there are double butterflies. The goldfish in the painter's pen are also colorful and colorful, and in the paintings passed down from generation to generation, there is Qian Hui'an's "Cooking Tea Washing Yan Diagram" of the Qing Dynasty, which depicts the beautiful mood of washing yan fish swallowing ink and cooking tea cranes to avoid smoke. The goldfish in paintings such as "Plum Blossom Goldfish Chart Axis" and "Purple Silk Gold Chapter" by The Void Valley Shangren are clumsy and cute. Modern painting masters Qi Baishi, Wu Zuoren, Liu Kuiling, Wang Yachen, Zhao Shaoang, Yang Shanshen, modern painters Pan Fenggui, and Ling Xuan are all masters of painting goldfish. The beloved Premier Zhou Enlai once said with infinite affection: "The Chinese goldfish is the most beautiful, and it is a symbol of peace, friendship and unity. ”
Liu Kuiling goldfish Chinese painting
Appreciate the | From nobles to commoners
The appreciation of Chinese goldfish also has a long history, which began with the Southern Song Dynasty Emperor Gaozong Zhao, who specially avoided fish ponds in Lin'an Deshou Palace and collected goldfish from all over the world. Emperor Shenzong of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yijun, was also a goldfish connoisseur who studied the breeding of goldfish and raised many goldfish. Many places in the Ming Palace had large fish tanks for raising goldfish, and even raised goldfish in jade pots in luxury. The Ming Dynasty's Shenxing "Hub Mountain Pen Dust" records: "The Ming Dynasty Imperial Palace has a goldfish basin, which is placed on the desk for Emperor Shenzong Zhu Yi to enjoy and play." At that time, many of the courtiers' relatives also raised goldfish. Moreover, every year on the day of the Mid-Autumn Festival in August, the palaces hold goldfish competitions to win the favor of the public. As Liu Ruoyu, a eunuch during the Ming Dynasty, recorded in the "History of the Ming Palace": "All the inner ministers have many good flowers and trees, and they set up many pots in the courtyard. And raise goldfish in the tank, list small pots of fine grass to show extravagance. ”
In the old days, Wang Xie Tang Qianyan flew into the homes of ordinary people. With the vicissitudes of the mulberry fields, these beautiful elves who used to lock the palace and the rich have now entered the lives of many ordinary people. People love goldfish, raise goldfish, bounty goldfish, praise goldfish. Worry about fish, happy fish.
Ling Virtual Goldfish Chinese Painting
Wu Zuoren goldfish chinese painting
History | From domestic to world
The earliest record of the golden crucian carp is found in the Classic of Mountains and Seas (460 BC, 2500 years ago) in the Warring States period of China. The Classic of Mountains and Seas is a masterpiece of economic geography. The book mentions that "the sui water comes out of the water, and the southeast flows into the river, where there are dodan millets and multi-vinyl fish". The "Suishui" here is inferred to be today's Tanhe River, which flows into the Yangtze River in the territory of present-day Anhui and Jiangsu provinces, southeast through Hongze Lake and Gaoyou Lake; the mandarin fish is the golden crucian carp. This shows that 2500 years ago, golden crucian carp has been found in China. However, scholars believe that the formal breeding of golden crucian carp in China should begin in the Jin Dynasty, and the works that prove this historical fact include "Baopuzi" and "Natural history", especially the "Shuyi Ji" written by the Gongshu Institute (460~08 AD), which records: "Jin Huan rushed to Lushan Mountain, saw the red scaled fish in the lake, that is, this fish also.". Youyun: "Zhu YiYu, out of the Yongtai River in Sizhou, the red-backed carp also". This ancient document fully proves that the cultivation of golden crucian carp began as early as the Jin Dynasty (265?19 AD), about 1700 years ago, the so-called red scale fish in the above literature is the red scaled fish, the vermilion carp is synonymous with the red-backed crucian carp, that is, the red (or red back) crucian carp, apparently not called goldfish at that time. In the Southern Qi after the Jin Dynasty, a man named Xiao Rui, in his "Biography of the High Monk, Shi Tan Ji Biography", also recorded the red and yellow crucian carp at The Xilin Temple in Lushan: "Lushan ... Nishirinin-in Hideike in the Akatsuki, Ryuya. "The ancients also called the temple a courtyard, and the Xilin Temple in the text is the Xilin Temple; the ancients called the crucian carp, and the red carp is the red (red) crucian carp. Later, in the "Jungle Collection" of emperor Wu of Liangwu in the third year of the Southern Dynasty, there is also a record of red and yellow crucian carp: "Crested carp, in the Xiuchi of The Xilin Temple of Lushan Mountain, is rare in the world...". In other historical sources, there are also records of red and yellow crucian carp. Goldfish originated from China's common edible wild crucian carp, it first changed from silver-gray wild crucian carp to red and yellow golden crucian carp, and then through different periods of domestic rearing, evolved into various species of goldfish. The cultivation of goldfish began in Hangzhou and Jiaxing during the Southern Song Dynasty, so Hangzhou and Jiaxing had the reputation of goldfish hometown, and then spread to Shanghai, Zhenjiang, Beijing, Tianjin and other places, and during the Ming Zhengde period, that is, around 1506, the imperial palace in Beijing began to raise goldfish.
According to the study of the Japanese scholar Matsui Yoshiichi (1934), the earliest record of Chinese goldfish reaching Japan is in 1502. Goldfish spread to England in the late 17th century, and by the middle of the 18th century, the double-tailed goldfish had spread to European countries and to the United States in 1874.
Carry forward the | Inheritance and development
Since the Daoguang Emperor of the Qing Dynasty, more and more people have raised goldfish, and there have been new improvements in breeding methods. Stressing that "if you want good fish, you must choose a good species", it has become popular for folk to consciously choose strange varieties for breeding, and goldfish farmers have implemented conscious artificial selection. For example, in the "Goldfish Atlas" of Juqu Shannong (1848), it is recorded that the method of fish farming is "when biting the male fish must choose the best product, which is commensurate with the size of the female fish." The Old Man of humble garden (1904) has "When the child is born, there are thousands of surpluses, and after forming, it is all in the selection, in the thousands, in the thousands, in the thousands, in the hundred, in the hundreds of ten, in order to get excellent and good." "If you want good seedlings, all in the old fish have materials, and the children will be good." "Raise fish, each pot." The mother fish eats white, just like pregnant women. If they are mixed, there is no distinction between the types. Even if it is born, it will be difficult to achieve it. "This kind of fish breeding method not only plays a role in the formation of new varieties, but also the number of new varieties is more than in the past." These new varieties, both in color and body shape, are more novel and cute than the previous goldfish. This allows us to see that conscious artificial selection plays a large role in the formation of new species of goldfish. Goldfish rearing during this period was a new development. In the Qing Dynasty, beijing raised goldfish at a great time, and there were new decorations for raising goldfish in glass tanks for ornamentation, and there were records of raising goldfish in jade bottles, which was full of fun. According to historical data, every spring festival, Beijing residents go to the temple fair to buy goldfish as a family New Year embellishment, to help the joy of celebration, when the famous goldfish sales places have "Zhile Fish Shop", "Zhile Fish Shop", "Laishun Fish Shop" and so on. By 1893, due to the progress of breeding technology, the variation increased, and two new breeds were bred, namely the Ink Dragon Eye and the Lion's Head. At this time, there were more than 20 species of goldfish. If you add the change of red-white flower color, the number of varieties has increased greatly compared with the previous one, and the records are more detailed than in the past, and there are already three kinds of ordinary scales, transparent scales and reticular scales in the scale structure. By 1904, goldfish had a new mutation, adding three species: dragon, tiger head and pompom.
From the end of the Qing Dynasty to the more than 30 years before the War of Resistance Against Japan, due to the development of genetics, people not only adopted various hybridization methods to make goldfish produce new variations, but also made detailed and systematic studies on the origin, causes of mutations, heredity, etc. By 1925, more than 10 new species of goldfish had been added. According to xu he's book "Goldfish Series", in 1935, there were more than 70 kinds of goldfish in Shanghai alone. Among them, there are new varieties such as dragon eye balls, pearl dragon eyes, dragon eye blister eyes, cinnabar eyes, silver eggs, blue egg balls, back egg balls, egg species flipper gills and so on. At the same time, the identification of the advantages and disadvantages of various varieties is also more meticulous, which plays a great role in the cultivation of excellent varieties.
During the War of Resistance Against Japan, due to the impact of the war, goldfish breeding has another period of decline, not only no new varieties have been produced, but also some varieties of breeding fish have also died and broken, so that the variety and number of goldfish have decreased sharply. After the victory of the War of Resistance Against Japan, due to the lack of attention to the cause of fish farming, many of the species lost in the past have not yet recovered, and the entire breeding industry is still in decline. At that time, there were only about 40 species of goldfish in the country.
After the founding of New China, the party and the government attached great importance to China's ancient cultural heritage. By 1958 it had grown to 154 species. In scientific research, the most prominent is Professor Chen Zhen, a famous biologist in China, who published China's first monograph on goldfish research in 1959, "The Familyization and Variation of Goldfish" (research work began in 1925), which scientifically proved that goldfish and crucian carp are indeed the same genus, and the book also made a scientific explanation of the various variations and color and shapes of goldfish. As a large-scale goldfish commercial activity, mainly in the mid-1970s, in the autumn of 1977, China's goldfish participated in the Fish Show of the Federal Republic of Germany for the first time and caused a sensation. Since the end of the 1970s, with the development of China's foreign-oriented economy, goldfish exports have attracted more and more attention. Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Wuhan, Hangzhou, Ningbo, Suzhou, Nantong, Yangzhou, Wuxi and other cities have exported a large number of excellent varieties of goldfish. During this period, the more prominent achievements in scientific research were the famous geneticist Professor Tong Dizhou (1902?979) and his assistants Professor Ye Yufen and Professor Yan Shaoyi, who extracted a nucleic acid from the eggs of crucian carp and injected it into the fertilized eggs of goldfish to breed a new fish species, and the photos and descriptions of the fish have been recorded in the Encyclopedia Britannica and named "child fish". During this period, a number of monographs on goldfish were also published, including "Goldfish" by Fu Yiyuan, Zhejiang People's Publishing House, 1980; Han Guangpu's translation of "Scientific Breeding of Goldfish", Agricultural Publishing House, 1980; Zuo Zengyin and Zuo Zengsheng, eds. "Breeding Ornamental Fish", Liaoning Publishing House (the book has a total of 88 pages, including 41 pages of goldfish), 1981; Zhang Shaohua", "Beijing Goldfish", Beijing Publishing House, 1981; Wang Zhanhai and Shi Pingwei, "Breeding of Goldfish and Tropical Fish", Shanghai Science and Technology Publishing House, 1982; Wu Zhengtai and Xu Pinzhang, eds. Ornamental Fish, Guangzhou Branch of Science Popularization Publishing House, 1983; Xu Qiyuan, "Goldfish Breeding Hundred Questions and Answers", Jiangsu Science and Technology Publishing House, 1984; Fu Yiyuan, ed. "Goldfish Breeding Technology", Shanghai Science and Technology Publishing House, 1986; Wu Huisheng and Fu Yiyuan, eds. "Chinese Goldfish", Tianjin Science and Technology Publishing House, 1983; Zhang Shaohua, Yu Qianhui, Zhao Chengping, eds. "Goldfish Koi Tropical Fish", Jindun Publishing House, 1990; Zhao Chengping and Zhang Shaohua, eds. Goldfish, Golden Shield Publishing House, 1991; Wang Chunyuan, ed. Chinese Goldfish, Golden Shield Publishing House, 1994; Li Sumei, ed., Practical Goldfish Farming, China Agricultural Publishing House, 1995; Xu Qiyuan and Cai Renkui, eds. Oriental Sacred Fish. During this period, many goldfish articles with major reference value were also published in various magazines, and the representative works were: Chen Wenhao's "How to Raise Goldfish" played a certain role in promoting the development of goldfish in China after the "Cultural Revolution"; Xu Jinsheng et al. "China's Major Goldfish Species", "Freshwater Fishery", No. 6, 1980; Zhang Xiangge's "History of Goldfish", "Agricultural Archaeology", No. 1, 1982; Wang Chunyuan's "Classification and Naming of Goldfish Species in China" "Freshwater Fishery".
Expect | Advocacy and awareness
Unfortunately, however, many Chinese do not know that goldfish is our "national fish", and goldfish culture has not received enough attention. The fundamental measure for the promotion and development of China's goldfish culture and goldfish breeding industry is to pay attention to the restoration and attention of traditional Chinese culture, goldfish culture originated in the long history of traditional Chinese culture, and to promote their own development, to change the current situation of goldfish culture and goldfish to start from the restoration and promotion of traditional culture by the state, increase the publicity of goldfish culture, so that more people can know it, understand it, in order to better protect its development.