ISSN: 2226-6348
Open access
Orchid culture boasts a long-standing history in China. As one of the "Four Gentlemen" , Orchid Culture is intrinsically linked to the historical trajectory of China. It carries the accumulated essence of millennia of Chinese thought, ethics, and art, profoundly influencing the behavioral habits, modes of thinking, and value systems of the Chinese people. Zhoushan, a renowned native habitat of orchids in China, possesses an Orchid Culture uniquely shaped by its distinctive marine environment and Buddhist influences. This culture integrates the spirit of marine resilience, the Zen philosophy of the Buddhist realm, and the virtues of the gentlemanly ideal, serving as a vital carrier of regional identity. This paper traces the three major developmental stages of Zhushan's Orchid Culture, highlighting its transformation—driven by local brand creation and research associations—from "selling orchids" to "selling culture." Employing multidisciplinary perspectives from education and sociology, the paper analyzes the value of Orchid Culture education in shaping individual cognition, cultivating values, and constructing social moral consensus. It proposes that by implementing distinctive cultural education programs and strengthening citizens' cultural identity, Zhoushan can promote its Orchid Culture, thereby forging the cultural identity of the "Orchid Capital of China". This approach offers pathways to enhance local cultural soft power and bolster cultural confidence.
Babayi?it, B. B., Sever, D., Aktas, B. Ç., Kayabas, B. K., ?enel, E. A., & Güven, M. (2025). Professional development for multicultural education: Lessons from a blended in-service teacher training programme. Teaching and Teacher Education, 165, 105151.
Chen, J. (2024). Analysis of the path of moral education tutors in guiding the ideology of police college students: Reflections based on Durkheim’s moral education thought [De yu dao shi dui jing xiao da xue sheng si xiang yin ling de lu jing tan xi——ji yu tu er gan dao de jiao yu si xiang de si kao]. Education Teaching Forum, 28, 185–188.
Chen, M. (2018). Classroom development and practical research under traditional culture: Taking Guolan culture as an example. Rural Economy and Science and Technology, 29(21), 313–315.
Chen, M., & Zhang, K. W. (2025, August 2). Zhoushan orchids: Exploring the integration path of culture and industry. Zhejiang Daily, p. 7.
David, O. (2025). Identity discourse in teacher education: Developments in national-cultural identities of pre-service teachers in Israel. Teaching and Teacher Education, 153, 104850. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2024.104850
Fancourt, D., & Steptoe, A. (2019). The effects of engagement in arts and cultural activities on adolescent mental health: Results from a large UK panel study. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 48(12), 2345–2367. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-019-01106-y
Feng, X., Guan, W., & Xu, E. (2025). The relationship between preschool inclusive teachers’ perception of traditional culture and digital literacy: The chain mediating role of technology acceptance and job insecurity. Acta Psychologica, 258, 105141.
Gao, F., Zheng, L., Ke, Y., & Jin, T. (2014). The beauty of orchids in the wind of a gentleman. Journal of Yunnan Agricultural University (Social Sciences), 8(6), 74–76.
Hugh-Jones, S., & Munford, L. (2025). The effects of engagement in arts and cultural activities on adolescent mental health: Results from a large UK panel study. Social Science & Medicine, 382, 118343. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2025.118343
Jun-chao, Y., & Hong-ye, G. (2022). Research on Bruner’s cultural psychology centered on meaning [Yi yi yi wei zhong xin de Buluna wen hua xin li xue yan jiu]. Journal of Xichang College (Social Science Edition), 34(4), 123–128. https://doi.org/10.16104/j.issn.1673-1883.2022.04.022
Luo, Z. C. (2013). Adhering to the orchid culture and cultivating the spirit of the orchid garden: Exploration and practice of campus culture construction in Pengkou Central Primary School, Liancheng County [Bing cheng lan hua wen hua pei yu lan yuan jing shen——lian cheng xian peng kou zhong xin xiao xue xiao yuan wen hua jian she de tan suo yu shi jian]. Fujian Basic Education Research, 9, 22–23.
Nieuwa?ny, J., Nowakowski, K., Ptaszy?ski, M., Masui, F., Rzepka, R., & Araki, K. (2021). Does change in ethical education influence core moral values? Towards history- and culture-aware morality model with application in automatic moral reasoning. Cognitive Systems Research, 66, 89–99. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cogsys.2020.10.011
Ren, W., Wang, R., Mohamad, S. N. A. (2024). Influencing factors of employment choices among college students in remote island areas: A case study of Zhoushan. In 2024 4th International Conference on Internet Technology and Educational Informatization (ITEI 2024) (pp. 81–93). Atlantis Press.
Ren, W., Yuan, W., & Wu, D. (2021). “Smart” upgrading of teaching equipment following the whole life cycle of multimedia equipment in colleges and universities. In 2021 2nd International Conference on Education, Knowledge and Information Management (ICEKIM) (pp. 370–374). IEEE. https://doi.org/10.1109/ICEKIM52309.2021.00088
Ren, W., Yuan, W., Zhao, X., Wu, Q., & Zhao, Y. (2021). The exploration and practice of curriculum ideological and political education in the MOOCs of colleges and universities. South Asian Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 2(6), 72–83.
Sousa, M. (2025). Cultural intelligence in higher education: Promoting inclusion and global collaboration. Societal Impacts, 5, 100115.
Thijs, J., Krijnen, M., van Vemde, L., Hornstra, L., Mainhard, T., & Wansink, B. (2025). The diversity teaching beliefs scale: Addressing cultural diversity, communalities between cultures, and the national culture in the classroom. Teaching and Teacher Education, 153, 104846. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2024.104846
Ting, Q. M., Feng, W. Y., Yi, C. J. (2018). Market morphology theory perspective on the development of Chinese orchids: An empirical study based on Zhoushan orchids. Rural Economy and Science-Technology, 29(15), 18–21.
Wenzhong, W. (2020). The gentleman’s “Chinese orchid culture.” Forestry and Ecology, 4, 44–45.
Xin, Z. Z. (2018). Research on Chinese orchid culture from the perspective of ecological aesthetics [Master’s thesis, Nanjing Forestry University].
Yuan, W. (2020). National orchid and orchid culture. Flowers, 2, 293–294.
Zhao, Q. (2020). Scholarly Lan rhyme, create a Lan culture quality school. Educator, 34, 68–69.
Diandian, C., Wenxuan, R., Yi, D., Yuting, M., Siya, W., Rui, W., & Aiping, T. (2025). From “Fragrant Herbs and Noble Figures” to Cultural Foundations: Orchid Culture Education as a Speculative Study on Cultural Confidence Education in Zhoushan City. International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development, 14(4), 964–976.
Copyright: © 2025 The Author(s)
Published by HRMARS (www.hrmars.com)
This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this license may be seen at: http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode