Asiatic Parrots and Parakeets in Chinese Art
Asiatic parrots in Chinese culture
Parrots have always fascinated the Chinese with their colorful plumage and intelligence. There are native parrot species in China. But they are not as well known as their cousins in other parts of Asia.
Are there parrots in China?
Native parrot species in the north
The northern native species lived in the northwest mountains, along the old caravan route to what was now the border of Shaanxi and Gansu. The now-extinct species was most likely a variety of the Derbyan parakeet. Derbyan parakeet is a native species to Sichuan, Yunnan, and eastern Tibet.
Native parrot species in the south
The parrots and cockatoos imported to China
Parrots in Chinese cultures and their meanings
1. Parrots as gifts to the Tang dynasty’s emperor
2. White cockatoo as an excellent pet for Lady Yang
3. Parrot as a symbol of a person who lost his freedom
4. Releasing parrots to show morality
5. Parrot as a talented poet and Guanyi’s acolyte
6. Parrot as an intelligent religious preacher and Guanyi’s acolyte
Interested to read about parrots & cockatoo art in European visual art? Read this other blog post of mine.
Notable parrots arts in Chinese art
Emperor Huizong of Song’s Five-Colored Parrot
Chen Shu and white cockatoo
Read this article (in Chinese – support well automative translation) by a registered Chinese doctor about parrots in Chinese culture, including literature, art, and jade culture. See this news article about the blossom-headed parakeet, which was believed to have vanished for nearly 100 years in China until 22 of them were rediscovered in 2015.
Materials Referenced for this blog:
Idema, Wilt L. UCLA online lecture “A Historical Taxonomy of Parrots in Chinese Literature: From Mi Heng’s Rhapsody on the Parrot to Prime Minister Parrot”, 2023
Schafer, Edward. The Golden Peachers of Samarkand, Berkeley, 1962
Weidner, Marsha. Views from Jade Terrace, Chinese Women Artist 1330-1912, Indianapolis, 1988