Pearls of Oil Amidst Verses and Images: a Journey Through the Cultural Meanings of Ganlan 橄欖 in China

Abstract

This article presents an analysis of the symbolic value attributed to the olive tree in both ancient and modern Chinese culture. Beginning with an examination that reveals a far more complex lexical situation than commonly assumed, the article concludes that the term ganlan can refer, depending on context, to at least three different plants: Canarium album, Olea europaea, and Phyllanthus emblica. The analysis of various literary documents has enabled a broad reconstruction of the phases of ganlan’s presence or introduction in China and its growing importance in the imperial economic and agricultural system. Poems from the Song era (by authors such as Wang Zhiwang 王之望, Huang Tingjian 黃庭堅, Liu Kezhuang 劉克莊, Zhao Fan 趙蕃, and Wang Yucheng 王禹偁) have illuminated the development of a complex symbolic and metaphorical system in ancient times. Furthermore, the spread of the tree in China in the twentieth century is discussed, highlighting the Chinese Communist Party’s decision to integrate the plant into the Chinese agricultural system. The journalistic and cinematic narratives of the arrival of plants from Albania in 1964 laid the groundwork for both new and ancient symbolisms. In this article, these symbolisms are explored through analysis of the song “The Olive Tree” by San Mao, as well as a review of the new customs and habits of contemporary China.