Chinese Decorative Elements Symbols of happiness wealth and

Chinese Decorative Elements Symbols of happiness, wealth, and long life

Daoist symbols • Xiwangmu--mother of the West; has magic peaches (party with 8 Immortals) • Three Star Gods--happiness, wealth and long life • Fuxing-God of Blessings and Happiness especially wishes regarding marriage and the birth of sons; holds a scroll; often accompanied by children • Luxing- God of a good salary and rank; carries Jade badge of office (dresses in court official cloth) • Shouxing-God of Longevity and immortal; carries the peach of immortality which came from Xiwangmu and a staff with scroll attached •

Celestial Worthy of Numerous Treasure

The Immortals

Daoism • Eight Immortals (flower basket, flute of the youthful, castanets, fan, bamboo, fish drum with metal beaters, the lotus, the sword, and the fly whisk, and a double gourd with iron crutch • One hundred boys--were the 99 natural sons and one adopted son of the wise and benevolent King Wen of Zhou (for wedding gift)

Numbers • 5 is important; five directions, five elements, five blessings (long life, riches, health, love of virtue and a natural death • 8 is an auspicious number; it is an even or feminie yin number, which in the balance of things rules a man’s cycles of growth and completion; many groups of 8: 8 trigrams, 8 precious things, and the 8 Buddhist symbols

Landscape painting • Landscape paintings may not only represent particular places at particular moments but also symbolically combine mountains and water, or yang and yin, symbolized the primary forces that create the universe • Chinese gardens are decorated carefully with rocks and water together with trees and flowers

Dragon with five claws symbolized the Emperor; yellow is the color associates with him Phoenix symbolized the Empress; red is the color associates with her Qilin symbolized high ranking officials; symbol of the bringer of babies Peonies can be used only by the royalty

Flowers • Flowers symbolized the four seasons • Lotus symbolizes purity (growing out of mud) • Lotus and cintamani or lotus and scepter meaning “May your wishes come true” • Peonies-wealth and rank • Magnolia (yulan) is a pun for jade (wealth and rank)

Fruit • Gourd-the emblem of the New Year • Three Plenties (sanduo)-peach, pomegranate and a Buddha’s hand citron • Pomegranate--symbol of fertility (has many seeds) • Peach--symbol of longevity • Citron shaped like a Buddha’s hand with long curving fingers, has the name foshou which makes it a rebus for blessing and longevity

Animals • In Tang period (618 -916), pairs of birds, fish, and plants used to symbolize harmony and devotion in marriage; the forms are full and rounded and the decorative element are elegant • In Song Dynasty (960 -1280), crane and deer symbolized longevity • Ming Dynasty (1368 -16440, plant and animals are popular symbols; pomegranate, tiger and Five Poisonous Animals (snake, scorpion, centipede, spider and toad); Symbolism using a play on words was first systematically employed • Riddles are used as part of the elaboration of annual holidays

Animals • Bats and coin--”Blessing in front of your eyes, ” “Blessings right here and now” • Bat in Chinese is fu which pronouced the same as a character for happiness or blessing; coin is qian which means “in front of you” • Bat and deer (immortality; found immortal fungus) • Bat and peaches--symbols of long life and happiness (commonly 8 peaches-8 immortals and 5 bats for five Happiness) • Red bats are especially auspicious, not because the color red wards off demons but also because hong is a rebus for enormous.

Animals • Butterfly and melon (wish for many sons)-”continuous like a vine or “everlasting” • Toad--symbol of wealth • Cat (mao) is a rebus for 70 -80 years old • Butterfly (die) means aged 80 • Tiger-fights Five Poisonous animals • Horse (ma or shang) means “on top of” or up • Monkey (hou) is a word for high marquis • Horse and monkey together means “May you be elevated to the rank of marquis immediately”

Qiao Mansion

Trees • Evergreen symbolizes constancy and longevity • Bamboo symbolizes gentle man because it always stands straight; it is also part of the “Three Friends of Winter, ” bamboo, pine and plum • Persimmon symbolizes fertility

Animals • Elephant-rebus for strength and wisdom, and also associates with the Buddha; washing an elephant means happiness and good luck; riding an elephant meant good fortune and luck