"This volume brings together two celebrated Ming Dynasty texts, On Vase Flower Arrangement by Zhang Qiande (1577-1643) and History of Vases by Yuan Hongdao (1568-1610). The latter of which was translated into Japanese and deeply impacted that country's tradition of flower arrangement. Uniting the two famous books, horticulture scholar Li Xia provides contemporary readers with a theoretical framework for evaluating flowers, selecting vases, and appreciating the time-honed techniques of Chinese flower arranging." --amazon.com.