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In Chinese culture, the Plum Blossom symbolizes:
Gu Qi -- strength of character, moral integrity and backbone;
Gang Yi fortitude, indefatigability, perseverance and tenacity;
Xing Fu and Ji Xian -- blessedness, luck and propitiousness.
According to Confucianism, the plum blossom was the symbol of a gentleman who has nobility, personal integrity, fortitude and a heroic quality that does not retreat from adversity. In modern China, Mr. Mao Zedongs lyric " Yong Mei -- Ode to the Plum Blossom" , endowed the plum blossom with some of the spirit of the times, clean breath, steadfastness in the cold season, faithfulness, constancy, firmness, independence and self reliance. Because he emphasized that these qualities were in fact the root of the Chinese national verve, since then, the culture of Plum Blossom has reached its highest level and has huge social influence.
The Plum Blossom is also the mascot of happiness and luck.
The ancient Chinese thought that plum blossom had four virtues: 筝鐚綣絋篋鐚膸絖筝鐚筝茣 Chu sheng wei yuan, kai hua ru heng, jie zi wei li and cheng shu wei zhen When it buds, it means everything will be reborn and a new year will start; when it blossoms, it means there will be prosperity and things will go smoothly; when it seeds, it means that everywhere there will be benefit; when it matures, it means constancy (another version says it means satisfaction for the whole of ones life).
The four words: 鐚篋鐚鐚茣 -- Yuan, Heng , Li and Zhen -- beginning, smoothness, benefit and constancy / satisfaction were the general symbols of Yi Jing -- The Book of Changes.
In the Song Dynasty (960 - 1279), Zhu Xi (1130 鐔1200 ) it was thought that the four words expressed the four phases of things from their beginnings through their development to maturity and called it 茣筝莎 -- Zhen Xia Qi Yuan , this then became one of the terms of ancient Chinese philosophy to express the process by which things go from their beginnings to maturity.
There is another version in folk tradition: 罌綣篋胼 -- Mei Kai Wu Fu, meaning The Plum Blossom has five petals which symbolize: Delight, Happiness, Longevity, Smoothness and Peace.
In folk art, you can often see a picture of a pied magpie on a plum blossom, this means:
-- Xi bao Zaochun: the pied magpie is reporting that the spring has come early;
-- Xi Bao Chunguang: the pied magpie is reporting the spring has come;
-- 筝罌Xi Shang Meishao: uses the same pronunciation of Xi Que (pied magpie ) and Xi Shi (something happy, delightful and lucky), and of the Chinese characters for Mei (plum blossom) and Mei (eyebrows) to express the meaning: Happiness appears on the eyebrows.
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