Tao Yuanming Picking Chrysanthemums

In China, the chrysanthemum conjures an association with the poet Tao Yuanming (365–427), who is depicted in this painting holding yellow chrysanthemums with long stems. The flower is well known as the “hermit” among flowers, alluding to Tao’s reclusion from the secular world. The inscription at the top of the painting cites two lines from one of Tao’s famous poems:

I pluck chrysanthemums at the eastern fence,
the southern mountain easily comes into view.
—Huang Yongyu [the artist] inscribed this in 1983.  

 In the complete poem, Tao conveys his detachment from society by communing with flowers rather than with people. He also reflects upon his mortality: he is picking chrysanthemums not for decoration but for their purported health benefits, as the “southern mountain” that he sees in the distance is a traditional symbol of longevity.