外国人眼里代表中国的花
花是春天的使者，是美的化身。随着春寒渐渐退去，很快我们将迎来鲜花绽放的时节。以下是10种最能代表中国的花，看看你都认识吗?
梅花
Plum blossom
In Mao Zedong's poemOde to Plum Blossom, he described the flower like this: "Fair and beautiful. Not craving for spring for her own, only to tell the coming of the season. When all flowers bloom in full, she smiles among them. "
毛泽东的《咏梅》一诗中写道：“风雨送春归，飞雪迎春到。已是悬崖百丈冰，犹有花枝俏。俏也不争春，只把春来报。待到山花烂漫时，她在丛中笑。”
Mao used the plum blossom as a metaphor to praise great martyrs who sacrificed their lives for a better life for Chinese people.
他把梅花比作为国捐躯的烈士。
In traditional Chinese culture, plum blossom stands for noble, unsullied and modest qualities. Along with orchid, bamboo and chrysanthemum, they are praised as the "Four Men of Noble Character".
在中国传统文化中，梅花象征高洁和谦逊。梅花和兰花、竹子、菊花并称为“四君子”。
Plum blossom cake is one of the most famous snacks in Nanjing, Suzhou and Wuxi. Made in the shape of plum blossom, the cake is made of sticky rice, jam, nuts and red bean paste.
梅花糕是南京、苏州、无锡一代最有名的小吃，用糯米、果酱、坚果、红豆沙制成梅花形状的糕点。
牡丹花
Peony
The great Chinese poet Li Bai, from the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907), once compared concubine Yang Yuhuan's beautiful face to blooming peonies in his famous poem Qing Ping Diao. "Floating clouds remind me of her clothes, and peonies her face," he wrote.
唐朝伟大诗人李白曾在《清平调》中把杨玉环的绝色容颜比作盛放的牡丹花：“云想衣裳花想容”。
Flowering in May, peonies' large petals and strong colors are linked to prosperity and richness in traditional Chinese culture. Thus, it became very popular during the Tang Dynasty, a period of time when Chinese people preferred magnificent and glorious things, such as fat and strong horses and large flowers. In the late Qing Dynasty, the peony was chosen as the national flower.
五月盛开的牡丹花大色艳，寓意富贵荣华。自唐代以来，世人甚爱牡丹。晚清时期牡丹被确立为国花。
In many New Year pictures, fairy children always hold peonies that bear people's wishes for an auspicious and rich new year.
年画中经常描绘仙童手捧牡丹，代表着人们吉祥富贵的新年愿望。
Dried peony petals can also be added in tea and traditional Chinese medicine to alleviate pain caused by menstruation.
牡丹干花被加入茶和中药中，可缓解痛经。
菊花
Chrysanthemum
This flower is often associated with famous poet Tao Yuanming from the Eastern Jin Dynasty (AD 317-420). In his poem Drinking Wine, Tao wrote: "While picking up chrysanthemums beneath the eastern fence, my gaze was leisurely upon the southern mountains". The piece became one of the most well-known poems, picturing a peaceful and satisfying life dreamed of by many people.
提到菊花，人们就会想起东晋诗人陶渊明的“采菊东篱下，悠然见南山”。这首著名诗歌描绘了很多中国人追求的宁静祥和的田园生活图景。
The chrysanthemums he referenced came to symbolize humility, rather than seeking fame and wealth. With its unsophisticated beauty, chrysanthemum is also a symbol of longevity in Chinese myths and literature.
菊花是“花中隐士”，凌霜盛开，素雅坚贞，在中国神话故事中是长寿的象征。
According to traditional Chinese medicine theory, chrysanthemum tea can relieve internal heat and fever. Pillows made of dried chrysanthemum are also good for people's eyes.
菊花茶可清火，菊花枕可明目。
月季
Chinese rose
Bearing a strong resemblance to other roses, yet with fewer thorns and larger petals, the plant originates from China, hence the name "Chinese rose".
月季花外观和玫瑰极为相似，只不过刺更少花瓣更大，因为原产于中国，所以英文名是Chinese rose(中国玫瑰)。
"Bloom or fade, the flower never cares about arrival of spring; Best peonies only appear in late spring and early summer, yet Chinese roses enjoy the four seasons with unceasing beauty," poet Su Shi from the Song Dynasties ( 960-1279) described the flower in his poem.
苏轼曾在诗中写道：“花落花开不间断，春来春去不相关。牡丹最贵为春晚，芍药虽繁只夏初。惟有此花开不厌，一年长占四时春。”
Chinese people started to grow the rose about 2,000 years ago. In the Han Dynasty (206 BC- AD 220), Chinese roses were widely grown in royal gardens. And in the Tang Dynasty, the flowers found their way into most regions along the Yangtze River.
国人早在2000年前就开始种植月季，汉朝时就已在宫廷花园中大量栽培，唐朝时更为普遍，广泛分布在长江流域地区。
Apart from being extracted to make perfume, the roots, leaves and flowers of Chinese roses are used in traditional Chinese medicine to cure menstruation disorders.
除了用来制成香水，月季的根、叶和花瓣都可入药，用来调节月经。
杜鹃花
Azalea
Often appearing in old Chinese poems and stories, azalea, or du juan, is the favorite flower of poet Bai Juyi from the Tang Dynasty. He not only praised the flowers in his poems, but tried to grow azaleas.
杜鹃花经常出现在中国古诗词中，是唐朝诗人白居易最爱的花。白居易曾把杜鹃比作花中西施。
"Once grown on hills, now blooming in gardens…send a message to God and let azalea be the king of flowers," Bai wrote in his poem Azalea Twelve Tunes.
他曾在《山石榴花十二韵》中写道：“本是山头物，今为砌下芳。千丛相向背，万朵互低昂。”
In Chinese mytholgy, a melancholy bird named Du Juan bleated day and night until it spat blood, which painted all the flowers on the hill red. The flowers were named after the miserable bird.
中国曾有杜鹃啼血的神话，传说杜鹃鸟昼夜悲鸣，啼至血出乃止，杜鹃花就是被杜鹃鸟的鲜血染红的，因此而得名。
The whole plant can be used in traditional Chinese medicine and can help to cure kidney illness and deafness.
杜鹃花入药可治疗肾虚耳聋。
荷花
Lotus
Lotus flower is an important symbol of pureness in Buddhism, and also traditional Chinese culture. A Song Dynasty scholar, Zhou Dunyi, praised lotus as "unsullied from silt where it comes from, retains demure despite being cleaned by water" in his prose Ai Lian Shuo.
荷花又名莲花、芙蓉，在佛教和中国传统文化中是纯洁的象征。宋代学者周敦颐在散文《爱莲说》中是这样称赞荷花的：“予独爱莲之出淤泥而不染，濯清涟而不妖。”
In ancient Chinese literature, the lotus is often connected with women's noble and pure personality. In the Chinese classic The Dream of the Red Chamber, Qing Wen, an honest and upright maid of protagonist Jia Baoyu, becomes a lotus fairy after passing away.
在中国古代文学中，荷花也寓意着女子的高洁人格。《红楼梦》中晴雯死后托梦说自己变成了“芙蓉仙子”。
The flower, along with its leaves, seeds and roots have being widely used in both Chinese cuisine and traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of years.
荷花叶、籽和根常用来做菜，也用作中药。
山茶花
Camellia
Coco Chanel's favorite flower, the camellia, has been planted in China as early as the Three Kingdoms (AD 220-280).
山茶花是传奇时装设计师可可·香奈儿最爱的花，早在三国时代就在中国栽种。
There is a poem Ode to Camellia, written by a lady called "Madame Huarui", that describes the camellia as "Blooming on the hills, like burning sunset glow and floating pink clouds…the scenery is more beautiful than hundreds of flowers blooming in heaven."
花蕊夫人作的《山茶咏》中写道：“山茶树树采山坳，恍如赤霞彩云飘。人道邡江花如锦，胜过天池百花摇。”
桂花
Sweet-scented osmanthus
In her poem, Li Qingzhao from the Song Dynasty, described osmanthus as "light yellow, with a delicate figure, that only leaves fragrance behind; No need for bright greens and reds, the osmanthus is a flower destined to shine."
宋代女词人李清照曾在诗中这样描写桂花：“暗淡轻黄体性柔。情疏迹远只香留。何须浅碧深红色，自是花中第一流。”
Planting sweet-scented osmanthus in China has a history of more than 2,500 years. Often blooming in August, the plant is also connected with Mid-Autumn Festival due to the fairy tale about a man named Wu Gang. Wu is ordered to cut down a large and strong osmanthus tree on the moon every day, yet the charmed tree never falls and has fragrant flowers each autumn. Wu is only allowed to have a rest for Mid-Autumn Festival.
桂花在中国有2500多年的栽培历史。桂花通常在八月盛开，还有一个和中秋节相关的典故：传说吴刚因遭天帝惩罚到月宫砍伐桂树，其树随砍随合，以这种永无休止的劳动作为对吴刚的惩罚，只有在中秋节这一天吴刚才能休息。
The little yellow flowers are often added to porridge, cakes and tea to enhance the taste. In Guangxi province where many osmanthus trees are planted, the perfume produced by the flowers has become an important local specialty.
这种香气扑鼻的小黄花可加入粥、糕点和茶中提升口感。
水仙花
Narcissus
With its green, white and yellow colors, narcissus, often grown in water, bears a kind of heavenly beauty. Thus it always finds its way into mythologies from different cultures.
水仙结合了绿色、白色和黄色三种颜色，生长在水中，有一种神圣的美感，因此在很多文化的神话中都有水仙出现。
In Greek mythology, the flower was named after a hunter Narcissus who was well-known for his beauty. And in Chinese folklore, narcissus is the embodiment of Emperor Yao's two daughters, E Huang and Nv Ying.
在希腊神话中，水仙以美少年那耳喀索斯的名字命名。在中国神话中，水仙是尧的女儿娥皇、女英的化身。
According to historical records, the original narcissus was imported from Italy in the Tang Dynasty. Chinese people cultivated better flowers after centuries of breeding. In China, narcissus can be sculptured into various kinds of bonsais. The flowers are often used as a decoration during the Chinese New Year.
根据历史记载，水仙的原种为唐代从意大利引进，经过数百年的栽培，水仙的品种得到了改良。在中国，水仙可以被雕成形状各异的盆栽，多用来庆贺新年。
兰花
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.
兰花也是“中国四君子”之一，它以芳香闻名。几千年来，“兰”字被广泛用作中国女性的名字。
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.
知心好友被称为“兰交”，美文被称为“兰章”。2000年前中国人民就开始种兰花，魏晋时期，花园里就到处都能看见兰花了。