Orchid and Chinese ink paintings of the flower. [Photo/artron.net]

Orchid

As one of the "Four Men of Noble Character" in Chinese culture, the orchid is better known for its delicate fragrance. And its Chinese character "lan" has being widely used in women's names for thousands of years.

Ancient Chinese called eternal friendship "lan jiao", or companionship as nobel as the orchid, and beautiful prose and poems "lan zhang", or words as graceful as the orchid. People started to grow the flower in China about 2,000 years ago. After the Wei and Jin dynasties (AD 220- 420), orchids were mainly used to decorate gardens.

The first monograph on orchids in the world, Jin Zhang Lan Pu, was written by Zhao Shigeng from the Song Dynasty. With a total of three volumes, the book recorded about 30 kinds of orchids and their living habits.

Click here to listen to Yanni's: With an Orchid