Plum, Orchid, Bamboo and Chrysanthemum were collectively featured on a set of four stamps issued by China Post in 2010 presented in a sophisticated arrangement of traditional Chinese cultural forms (painting, calligraphy and poetry).
The Four Gentlemen (Sì Jūnzǐ 四君子) also known as the Four Noble Ones or Four Plants of Virtue is the collective name of four plants: plum, orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemum (in this order). They are all native to China and of high ornamental and cultural value.
The Four Gentlemen have been used in Chinese brush painting since the Song Dynasty (960 – 1279). The tradition of using these plants in art has continued to the present day.
The first is the plum or Prunus mume. In China, there are over 300 recorded cultivated varieties of it. It is member of three classical groups. Most common is the "Three Friends of Winter", along with the pine and bamboo. It is also one of the "Four Gentlemen" and one of the "Flowers of the Four Seasons", which consist of the orchid (spring), the lotus (summer), the chrysanthemum (autumn) and the plum (winter). These groupings are seen repeatedly in the Chinese aesthetic of art, painting, literature, and garden design. That the plum is a member of all these groupings shows its great significance in Chinese tradition and culture. In folk culture, the five petals of the plum blossom represent the five blessings: Fu (福 happiness; good luck ), Lu (禄 fortune; salary), Shou (寿 longevity), Xi (喜 joy) and Cai (财 weath)
Orchids (兰花 Lánhuā) have been cultivated for over 2,000 years in China. Because of their elegant figure and delicate fragrance, Chinese orchids are associated with female beauty. Orchids have been particularly favored by Chinese scholars since ancient times, as they represent integrity, nobility, humility, and self-restraint, all of which are considered to be the virtues of a perfect gentleman. The Orchid represents beauty and good taste in Chinese culture. The earliest existing orchid painting, now kept in the Palace Museum, Beijing was painted by Zhao Mengjian (1199-1264), born in the Southern Song Dynasty. (He usually painted orchids as soil-less, with exposed roots, to express his grief for loss of his motherland when his dynasty fell to the invading Yuan Dynasty.)
Bamboo stays green all year round, have upright stems and is flexible enough to withstand storms without breaking. These characteristics of bamboo have been personified as the spiritual and cultural symbols of purity, modesty, restraint and integrity, which Chinese gentlemen should have. Bamboo has been used in many aspects of daily life for thousands of years in China, and is an essential part of Chinese culture. Bamboo has been used in nearly all aspects of Chinese life since ancient times, from gardens to food to being used to make daily necessities.
The Chrysanthemum is the flower of autumn. China is the native habitat of chrysanthemums and have been cultivated there for more than 3,000 years. In the Tang Dynasty the chrysanthemum was passed from China to Japan via Korea. It then spread to Europe with the Dutch and then over the worlds. In modern times it has been estimated that there are were over 20,000 cultivated varieties in the world of with about 7,000 in China.
It only blossom when the frost comes. This symbolizes the tranquil mind and indifference to fame and fortune of the classical Chinese gentlemen. Since ancient times the it has been deeply cherished by Chinese scholars and known as the 'Hermit of All Flowers'.
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