“Hey! So, this Lin Daiyu in A Dream of Red Mansions - ” The boy elbowed his deskmate, “ Why would she hold a funeral for the flowers, and cry while doing so? What was it that made her so sad? ” “ You ’ d wonder, wouldn ’ t you? ” the girl said. And she explained confidently: “ What Lin Daiyu did exhibits the qualities and characteristics of literati ( 文人学士 ) in ancient China. This was called ‘ grieving over spring ’ s passing and saddened at the arrival of autumn ’ . That is to say, they tended to express their sentimentality ( 伤感 ) in the description of things amidst seasonal changes. This poem you just read, A Sad Song for the Flowers , is a typical work mourning the spring. ” “ But spring and autumn are the best seasons. So beautiful! Why would they trigger (引发) these feelings in poets? ” Exactly they do trigger them! The turn of the seasons, at the end of spring or the beginning of autumn often triggered the realization of the elapse of time and the shortness of life. Poets, particularly the lonely, troubled and unfulfilled ones, would describe habitual scenes, such as fallen flowers and run ning water in spring, or cold wind and cold drizzle in autumn, as symbols of the unavoidable fading of all things vigorous and beautiful. They put into their poems not only the imageries but also their epiphanies (领悟) . ” Seeing the boy was impressed by her eloquence, the girl beamed proudly. He said, “Well put! I get it now. There are plenty of poems with similar subjects that I have read. Maybe it is common in Chinese classical poetry. But, wait, why is it so? Why were the Chinese poets af f ected with such a sentiment? Is it limited to Chinese poets?” “ Uh ... I wouldn’t say that it is entirely absent from foreign literature, but it is definitely more noticeable in Chinese literature...” flummoxed by the question, the girl was speechless now. As the two were engaged in their discussion, their Chinese teacher came in. They turned to him for help immediately. The teacher said, “Behind the strong emotions about spring and autumn is the general sensitivity of the Chinese people to the changes of Nature. I’m sure you both have learned in history class that ancient China was an advanced agricultural civilization, which largely depended on Nature to grow crops and reap the harvest. This in the long run gave the Chinese people a deep sense of awe in the face of Nature, and great sensitivity to the changes of the weather, which triggered their emotions at the turn of seasons . ” “In the case of Daiyu and the ‘flower funeral’, it’s easy to understand in the context of the traditional Chinese concept of the Unity of ‘Man and Nature’, which regards Man as an essential part of Nature. What Daiyu was doing was relating herself to the flowers, and sympathizing with th em, which was philosophically and cognitively pre-programmed in the Chinese cultural DNA.”