在中国绘画与中国诗词所表现的花木中,几乎再没有哪一种花木具有像梅所占有的特殊地位了。中华民族从何时又是怎样对梅发生了兴趣?是怎样从最初食其果到观其花,再到赏梅、品梅、爱梅,并且把梅作为一个重要的文艺题材加以表现的?这些,都体现在中华民族同梅的审美关系发生与演变的漫长历程中。先秦时期有关梅的史料,都是关于人们食用梅果的记载,而人们对梅的观赏,只见诸汉代的有关记述。根据所知材料推测,人们对于梅的审美兴趣迟于食用梅果的生理需求。 Among the flowers and trees shown in Chinese paintings and Chinese poetry, there is hardly any other flower or wood that possesses the special status that Mei possesses. How did the Chinese nation become interested in Plum? How did they show their taste from the very beginning, then admire Plum, Plum, Emei, and showed Plum as an important literary theme? These are all reflected in the long course of the occurrence and evolution of the aesthetic relationship between the Chinese nation and Mei. Pre-Qin period of the historical data about Mei are all about the consumption of plum fruit records, and people watch the plum, only to see the Han Dynasty’s account. According to the speculation that the material is known, people’s aesthetic interest in plum is later than the physiological needs of plum.