White Cranes in a Lotus Pond Free

Throughout Asia, the crane is a symbol of happiness and eternal youth. In Japan, the crane is one of the mystical or holy creatures and symbolizes good fortune and longevity because of its fabled life span of a thousand years. The crane is a favorite subject of Haiku poetry and the tradition of origami or paper folding. It has been one of the most loved birds in China since ancient times, seen as a symbol of noble character and representing longevity. The crane appears in many ancient Chinese paintings.

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The lotus is a rooted plant found in ponds and marshes. In early spring, green leaves begin to emerge and protrude out of the surface of the water. By summer, it blooms profusely. Although grown out of dirty mud, the lotus flower rises above the murky water untainted, looking clean, pure, and beautiful. For the Japanese, this process symbolizes attaining enlightenment. In the eyes of the Chinese people, the lotus symbolizes purity, lofty character, and divine virtues. In the Buddhist scriptures, the lotus bloom is praised as possessing four virtuous attributes, namely, fragrance, cleanliness, tenderness, and loveliness.

In China, as early as the Shang Dynasty (1766–1122 BC), lotuses were often found engraved side by side with such objects as cranes, clouds, and dragons on bronzeware, wood, stone, and ceramics. Through the centuries, lotus and cranes have been evergreen subjects for paintings in Chinese and Japanese culture.

I created a painting entitled White Cranes in a Lotus Pond, which was inspired by an ancient Chinese poem by scholar Wei Zhuang韦庄 (836–910 AD) in the late Tang Dynasty (唐朝末期):

“夕阳滩上立徘徊, 红蓼风前雪翅开.

应为不知栖宿处, 几回飞去又飞来.”

Consisting of 4 sentences of 7 words each, the poem may be translated as follows:

“Standing at the beach and strolling to and fro at sunset, the cranes spread their snow-white wings with the passing breeze in front of the red flowers. Due to the uncertainty of where the resting place for the night would be, they fly away and then return again for several times.”

This painting is one of several of my paintings featured in a set of commemorative postage stamps (1) produced in January 2021 as a high-quality stamp album with thick cover, to commemorate the 42nd Anniversary of Sino-Japanese Peace and Friendship Agreement to promote peace and friendship, and culture and art exchange between China and Japan. The album gives me the title Ethnic Chinese Distinguished Artist as China’s Cultural Ambassador. I am proud, both as a clinical chemist and an artist, to have had my work recognized in such a manner.

Author Contributions

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Authors’ Disclosures or Potential Conflicts of Interest

No authors declared any potential conflicts of interest.

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