Yinzhou’s China Flower Arrangement Art Museum |?中国插花艺术馆“花开”鄞州
Written by (作者): Jojo Chen 陈姣姣
Photos by (图片来源): China Flower Arrangement Art Museum??中国插花艺术馆
On November 1st, 2016, the China Flower Arrangement Museum was officially opened in Yinzhou. Although it is a national museum, it is privately owned by Zhejiang Lanhai Group, an organization that invested 50 million RMB over a 6-year period to bring the 8,800 square meter complex to life.
Its safe to say that anyone who visits this museum, with its 20,000 square meters of gardens, lawns, orchards and lotus ponds topped with pavilions, will fall in love with flowers. We visited the museum prior to its opening in mid-November, where we were able to take a tour and speak with executive curator Lei Qin and technical director Cunzhou Wang. At the end of such an experience, even we weren’t immune to the museum’s charms.
Flower arrangement is an ancient tradition that is said to have taken root during the Spring and Autumn Period prior to the Warring States Period. After further development during the Qin and Han Dynasties, it later flourished (pun intended) during the Tang and Song Dynasties. Even?with its decline following the establishment of the PRC and the turbulent times that followed, it was finally revived during China’s opening up. Be that as it may, through thick and thin this tradition has lasted well over 3,000 years.
The museum expertly documents this history, vividly reproducing the floricultural styles popular during these different periods of history. Exhibits are also divided into different types based upon the people who developed them, such styles include Aulic flower arrangement, Scholar flower?arrangement, Folk flower arrangement and Temple flower arrangement. These exhibits, located on the 1st floor, are joined by flower vases discovered in the Yue Kilns and Longquan Kilns of Ningbo, making the city an important location in the development of the art. Flower arrangement was even picked up in the Tiantong and Asoka Temples, as evidenced by artifacts from these locations.
The museum takes on a different feel on the 2nd floor, which is more of an international?exhibition hall with a wide variety of Eastern and Western flower arrangements from Taiwan, Japan, the Netherlands, USA and other countries. It was interesting to see the difference in the aesthetic of flower arrangements, whereas the ones from East Asian countries featured less flowers that?were arranged for a more natural feel, but the ones from the West featured more geometric and full arrangements.
Director Wang informed us that the over 300 flower arrangement works displayed in these?two floors of the museum required a group of prominent floral designers from all over?China a month of preparation prior to the opening of the museum. As to how long the?arrangements would need to be updated or replaced, Wang told us “the typical lifespan?of these artificial flowers is three to five years considering their exposure to light and the?erosion from dust. Although we will keep up regular maintenance, they are expected to?be replaced successively in two years time.”
Another thing we were curious about was the choice of Ningbo as the location for a national museum, when national museums in most countries – China included – are usually located in their capital or other important cities. The reasoning for the Flower Arrangement Museum in Ningbo, Curator?Qin tells us, is not only because of Ningbo’s high standing in Zhejiang Province and the?fact that the province is the location of the museum’s main investor, but also because?of the region’s long history with flower arranging and the fact that, economically speaking, it was the most viable location to settle the museum.
The choice of Ningbo as the museum’s location will play into its future development?as well. Qin explained to us that because Ningbo was still a major hub for Chinese flower arranging, the museum hoped to become a place where amateur flower artists could converge and hold functions and meetings, as well as learn how to better their art. There will also be special exhibitions,?performances, training sessions and events to garner interest amongst the general public?towards flower arranging. The museum also hopes to play a role in the spread of Chinese flower arrangements and floral art culture around the world, having already held a month-long exhibition in Keukenhof Park in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, with the goal of introducing the tradition to?locals and tourists. In order to continue such work, Qin tells us that there will be a summit?forum in the near future to set up a national delegation of Chinese flower arrangement specialists that will tour the nation and world, spreading the art in their wake.
Love of beauty is something timeless and not compelled by national boundaries. Following traditional flower arranging being listed as a national cultural heritage in 2008, the idea of a China Flower Arrangement Art Museum was put into play and after 6 years of dedication, it has finally become a reality. The art of traditional flower arranging can now be shared with the people of Ningbo, expat community and visitors to our wonderful city, and maybe even spread and?shared around the world.
2016年11月1日，在悠扬琴声和一片花香之中，中国插花艺术馆正式落户于有着“中国博物馆文化之乡”美誉的宁波鄞州。这个由浙江蓝海绿业集团投资5000万元、历经6年打造的国字头民办艺术馆，占地约8800平方米，四周还有20000多平方米的草坪、果园、绿植、假山、荷池、拱桥、亭台等园林景观，是个集展览、科普、教学、旅游、休闲于一体的公共文化活动场所。
我想每一个爱花的人听到这个消息，都会按捺不住内心的激动，想要前往一探究竟。为了给大家收集第一手资料，同时也满足自己的小小私心，我们于11月中旬驱车来到位于鄞州区下应街道的中国插花艺术馆，并有幸得到艺术馆的执行馆长秦雷先生和技术总监王存周先生的接待，在两位资深花艺大师的带领和讲解下做了一场“深度游”。
中国插花是中华民族优秀传统文化艺术之一，萌芽于春秋战国，发展于秦汉代，盛行于唐宋，成熟于明清，衰退于近代，复苏于改革开放，至今已有3000多年的历史。沿着一楼展厅的一段段墙走下去，一件件赏心悦目的插花作品，娓娓地讲述着它们的故事，惟妙惟肖地再现了各个时期的花艺风格，让你仿若置身于历史的长河中。
中国传统插花艺术根植于人们的日常生活，根据插花人群的不同，插花作品风格迥异，可以分为宫廷插花、文人插花、民间插花和寺观插花四类；根据春节、端午、中秋、重阳等不同节气主题，使用的花材和表现形式也各有不同。在这里，通过花艺大师们妙手再现的作品所做出的横向展示，你会有一个直观的了解。
除此之外，一楼也有专门区域展示宁波当地与插花的渊源：宁波出土的越窑、龙泉窑遗址中发现了花器制品，宁波历史博物馆也有资料显示，唐宋元明清时期，宁波外贸中有大量花器交易，说明宁波插花历史由来已久，最早或可追溯到天童寺、阿育王寺等的佛前供花习俗，并对中国插花东传日本功不可没。
沿着展馆中央的楼梯走上二楼，又是另一片天地。这里更像是一个国际展厅，集中了东方式插花和西方式插花的各种流派。由于地域、环境及文化背景的不同，东西方国家的美学思想也不尽相同，你可以看到，以台湾、日本、韩国等为代表的东方式插花，具有用花量少、线条优美、色彩淡雅、富有意境的特点，而以荷兰、美国、法国等为代表的西方式插花，则具有具有用花量大、注重几何构图、色彩浓艳、富有理性的特点。
王总监向我们介绍说，这两个楼层摆放的300余件插花作品，是在开馆前夕，集中了全国精英花艺师团队的力量，花了一个月左右时间制作完成的。“这些展品大概多久需要做一次更新？”“在灯光照射和灰尘侵蚀下，仿真花的寿命一般在三到五年之间，虽然平时我们也会加强养护，但预期两年左右就要陆续做一次更换。”看来，筹建艺术馆不易，日后的展品养护和更新，也会是一场大工程呀。
“众所周知，中国的国家级博物馆和艺术馆大多落户于北京、上海、广州这样的一线大城市，而中国插花艺术馆为什么会落户宁波呢？”参观完整个艺术馆之后，我表达了心中的疑问。“这件事说起来也是机缘巧合。”秦馆长告诉我们，“首先，宁波近年来已经在浙江甚至是全国范围内有了一定的知名度和影响力，而我们蓝海绿业集团发展到
一定阶段，正好也想打造一个文化产业，再加上如今城市中爱花、学花、赏花的人越来越多，确实存在社会需求，这是天时；其次，鄞州区政府在天宫庄园内给了我们这样一块地，这是地利；最后，艺术馆的建成，也离不开以集团董事长宋兆峰先生和中国插花协会名誉会长王莲英教授等人为首的插花爱好者们的共同努力，这是人和。”
当问到艺术馆未来的发展方向，秦馆长解释说：“作为全国首家插花艺术馆，我们没有前人的经验可借鉴，其实也是在摸着石子过河，需要进一步了解老百姓的真实需求。目前，一方面，我们打算把这幢楼作为花艺大楼，把上面的三四五层打造成花艺主题酒店，让艺术馆成为全国插花基地、插花爱好者自己的家，让爱花的人有地方可欣赏可休闲可学习可交流；另一方面，艺术馆计划举办各种表演、活动和培训，让大众都可以参与进来，既是一种‘以馆养馆’的模式，也能达到宣传普及的目的。”
“目前来看，中国插花艺术跟荷兰、日本、台湾等国家和地区仍有差距。对中国插花艺术达到国际一流水平、进入千家万户的愿景，您是怎么看的呢？”对于这个问题，秦馆长非常坚定地表示，他相信这一天指日可待。紧接着，他进一步解释说：“过去，我们国家在世界上相对落后，很多事情不敢办、没人办，而现在，中国的经济发展比任何国家都快，好的事情，大家都是想尽办法在办。比如，我们艺术馆就在考虑如果通过‘一带一路’将中国传统插花传播出去。今年上半年，我们已经去过荷兰，在阿姆斯特丹的库肯霍夫公园，做了近一个月的中国传统花艺专场
展示，在当地的反响很不错。年底，艺术馆还打算举办一场中国传统插花精英高峰论坛，成立中国插花的国家队。”
秦馆长还与我们分享了他在去年下半年去日本的体会。“十二年前，我受世界园艺博览会邀请去到日本的时候，中日两国的花艺在行业规范标准和教育普及上都存在着很大的距离。当时，日本每10个人里就有1个会插花，书店里更是看得到大量专业书籍，这在中国是根本不可能的。但是最近这次去，我们的插花质量在飞速发展、跟进，日本国内却反倒面临着衰退，有关花艺的书在市场上变得少见，学插花的也都五六十岁以上的中老年人。反观国内，专业书籍到处都能买到，学习花艺的人群也在三四十岁左右。所以，说中国插花在发展速度上已经超过了日本是
毫不过分的。”
爱美之心，不分古今，也不分国界。2008年，传统插花已经被列入国家级非物质文化遗产名录。经过紧锣密鼓的筹备，时隔6年之后，插花艺术馆也正式与我们见面，幸运的宁波人从此又多了个好去处。相信接下来，传统插花会日益步入寻常百姓家。与此同时，也让我们期待这门古老的艺术走出国门去惊艳世界吧。
China Flower Arrangement Art Museum｜中国插花艺术馆
Address｜地址：58, Lanhai Alley, Tiangong Road, Xiaying Street, Yinzhou District, Ningbo｜
宁波市鄞州区下应街道天工路蓝海巷58 号（毗邻宁波服装博物馆）
Tel｜电话：15958206490，0574-28868968