The artistic meaning rooted in Chinese culture behind LEGO’s latest collection

Been wondering who the Four Gentlemen are that the LEGO Group referenced in its recent botanical reveal? We’ve got the answers.

The LEGO Group has referred to its newly revealed collection of 10368 Chrysanthemum, 10369 Plum Blossom, 10343 Mini Orchid, and 10344 Lucky Bamboo as the Four Gentlemen. That isn’t something that the company or designers have coined themselves but rather a meaningful group of four plants rooted in Chinese culture.

The Four Gentlemen – the plum, the orchid, the chrysanthemum, and bamboo – are also known as the Four Noble Ones. Each plant has its own association with a season in Chinese culture: plum with winter, orchid with spring, bamboo with summer, and chrysanthemum with autumn.

That echoes the release schedule for the four sets, with the first two, 10368 Chrysanthemum and 10369 Plum Blossom, coming out on August 1, ahead of autumn and winter. 10343 Mini Orchid and 10344 Lucky Bamboo are due to release on January 1, ahead of the start of spring and summer.

In Chinese art, the four plants are often painted together in sequences and hun to show the movement of the year. There are also various meditative practices centred around the plants and such art collections to find beauty in every season, with practices dating back to the Ming dynasty between 1368 and 1644. The focus on the plants has also expanded to Japanese culture, with nanga artists in the 18th and 19th centuries often found depicting them.

Soon, you’ll be able to join in on the practice via LEGO bricks, building each one of the plants and displaying them in sequence to represent the passage of time throughout the year.

Thank you for supporting the work that Brick Fanatics does by buying your LEGO sets using our affiliate links!