Beijing Women's Federation

The Experience Chinese Intangible Cultural Heritages with Smart Lady Series: Chinese Flower Arranging 2 was live on Facebook on June 11. [Beijing Women's Federation]

 

On June 11, a live-streamed activity of the Experience Chinese Culture with Smart Lady program, sponsored by the Beijing Women's Federation (BWF) and gmw.cn, was held at Yangmeizhuxiejie, a popular tourist spot in Xicheng District in Beijing. The activity was live on the Facebook account Guangming Daily.

During the live stream, Zou Tong, a Beijing woman committed to developing Chinese-style flower arranging, shared stories of how she grew from a college student who loves traditional culture and flower arrangement into an entrepreneur setting trends in Chinese flower arranging and leading women to become better-off. To date, this episode has been viewed more than 380,000 times worldwide.

 

Promoting International Exchanges

Zou Tong, a floral designer, arranges flowers. [Beijing Women's Federation]

 

Zou Tong, as one of young-generation flower arrangers, once demonstrated oriental flower art to members of the British Royal Family, dignitaries from Finland and Thailand, and heads of international organizations during an international exchange activity. "At that time, I chose the plum blossom, one of the Three Friends of Winter — pine, bamboo and plum blossom — which were preferred among the ancient Chinese literati, to create my work. The plum blossom creates an elegant and delightful beauty and is highly appreciated in Chinese culture for its endurance in severe winters, giving people the enjoyment of beauty both inside and out." Dressed in traditional Chinese-style clothing, she introduced the foreign dignitaries to the flower's symbolism, helping them appreciate the charm of Chinese culture.

After more than ten years of study and practice in flower arrangement, Zou realized that Eastern and Western cultures each has its own merits. Taking flower arrangement as an example, foreign-style flower arrangement requires a large number of materials and emphasizes geometric composition and a multi-colored visual palette. The Chinese-style, however, pays more attention to the natural beauty shown by flowers themselves, highlighting the lines and layers of flowers. In spite of these different Chinese and Western flower arrangement theories, Zou always pursues an all-embracing and inclusive way to help Chinese and Western cultures talk to each other.

 

Start-up and Trendsetter

Zou started learning traditional Chinese painting when she was a child, which laid a solid foundation for her study of flower arrangement. She majored in e-commerce at university and it was there she conceived the idea of combining flower art with e-business. To bring her idea to life, she has tried running a workshop, a Taobao shop, an offline store and then a company. Ups and downs along the way toughened her up, and her down-to-earth efforts testified to the striving spirit of the younger generation.

A Chinese painting and a bunch of flowers — Zou Tong's two loves [Beijing Women's Federation]

 

Talking of her original aspiration, Zou said that her dream is to turn traditional Chinese flower art into a new made-in-China fashion. Noting that a good flower designer should master professional skills, she said that enriching knowledge of art is also a must. Different forms of art such as calligraphy, painting, sculpture and music offer valuable references for flower design.

Zou obtained an MBA degree at Tsinghua University, and developed creative floriculture-featured products. For example, the DIY flower box perfectly integrated traditional Chinese culture with flower art, satisfying the needs of young consumers and injecting vitality into traditional culture in the new era.

Works by Zou Tong featuring animals [Beijing Women's Federation]

 

Bolstering Women's Development

After starting her own business, Zou met with many like-minded friends who love flower arranging, and called them Huafen (pollen), which means a fan of flower arrangement. To date, more than 40,000 people have joined the Huafen family. They often get together to share their feelings and their stories, and in this way, an activity center boosting women's development gradually came into being.

Shelving the traditional route of franchise stores, Zou created a flower design brand chain using the crowd-funding pattern, and worked with more young people to inherit and carry forward Chinese flower art. She also gives flower art and aesthetic education classes to students from Hebei Women's Vocational College in North China's Hebei Province and a high school in Hohhot City, North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, in order to encourage more youngsters to go into flower arrangement.

To this end, Zou's project was honored as the most beneficial entry to society in the 2017 and 2018 Beijing Women's Entrepreneurship and Innovation Project Exhibitions.

With the same hobby, women from all walks of life gather to explore flower art and share their experiences. [Beijing Women's Federation]

Students and teachers pose for a group photo with their floral works. [Beijing Women's Federation]

Zou Tong (L) shows her work The Butterfly Dream, also known as Chuang-Tzu Dreaming a Butterfly, to viewers during the live stream. [Beijing Women's Federation]

Zou Tong's work The Butterfly Dream [Beijing Women's Federation]

　　

During the June 11 live stream, Zou introduced the production process behind her floral work named The Butterfly Dream, also known as Chuang-Tzu Dreaming a Butterfly. She uses plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo and the chrysanthemum family to imply lofty spirits and a pleasant life.

Zou noted that Chinese flower arrangement stresses the sense of lines, and said that flower arrangers should make sure that the roots of each flower converge at the same point, with the big flower at the bottom, the small bud at the top, and the flower head facing the sun, in line with the natural growth state of the flowers, to symbolize human beings living in harmony with nature.