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Chinese Motifs
Symbolic motifs have always been an integral part of Chinese life. The more popular motifs symbolize longevity, wealth, good fortune, love, marital bliss. The dragon and the phoenix, for instance, represent power and rejuvenation. Ming Dynasty blue-and-white porcelain continues to charm the world with lively and spontaneous free painted images of deer, crickets and birds in natural settings. The main decorative motif of a “bird on a rock” represents springtime and longevity.
The Tradewind Treasures collection is unique in this way. It is truly one-of-a-kind because each piece of shard is carefully studied to ensure that each motif or abstract line enhances the final design. Some make better pendants, others work better as bracelets. By being a pair, cufflinks and earrings demand additional time and attention.
The motifs described here are the more popular motifs you will see in a Tradewind Treasures collection. Rare motifs are those of the dragon, phoenix, butterfly and the Chinese symbol of “long life” (Shou).
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PEACH The peach (tao 桃) signifies the second month of the lunar calendar. The blossom is a symbol of spring, emblem of marriage, symbol of immortality, while the peach is an emblem of longevity. The peach also drives away evil spirits and has wondrous medical properties. The fruit cures lung diseases, the flower works as a laxative, the sap is a sedative, and an elixir made from the bark cures jaundice, dropsy and asthma. The peach is one of the Three Abundances (Three Plenties). |
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LOTUS Lotus flower is a symbol of purity, fruitfulness, perfection. An important motif in Chinese art and one of the eight emblems of Buddhism, it is the emblem of redemption and purity: it grows out of mud but its blossom is undefiled. The lotus signifies the seventh month of the lunar calendar. |
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| The Chinese word for lotus is lianhua (莲花) or hehua (荷花). Lian is also the pronunciation of the word for continuous (连) and he is also the pronunciation for the word harmony (和) so the lotus has the hidden meaning of "continuous harmony". Lotus seeds (lianzi 莲 籽) have the hidden meaning of "continuous birth of children" because the lian sounds like "continuous" (连) and the zi has the same pronunciation as the word for son or child (zi 子). |
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LINGZHI Lingzhi (灵芝), also known as the glossy ganoderma, is the sacred fungus of immortality that grows on the trunks or roots of trees including the pine. For this reason, it has become associated with longevity. |
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GOURD BOTTLE A symbol to ward off evil spirits and disease because its first character (hulu 葫芦) has the same pronunciation as the word to "protect" or "guard" (hu 护) and also the word for "blessing" (hu 祜). |
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| Trailing gourd vines are described in Chinese as man (蔓). This character can also be pronounced as wan and has the exact same pronunciation and meaning as 万 which means "10,000". Because the gourd contains many seeds, the Chinese associate the gourd with "10,000 children". In ancient China, parents hoped for many sons and grandsons so the gourd became an important symbol for a family with many children.
The Gourd Bottle is regarded as a symbol of longevity and good fortune in both the Taoist and Buddhist traditions. |
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FLY-WHISK The flywhisk is usually the sign of an official It also represents the symbolic "sweeping" of ignorance and mental afflictions. |
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PEONY The tree peony or mudan (牡丹) signifies the third month of the lunar calendar and symbolizes longevity, loyalty, happiness and eternal beauty. |
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| For this reason, another name for the peony is fuguihua (富贵花) which means "flower of wealth and honor". A peony in a vase (ping 瓶) has the hidden meaning of "wealth and honor" (peony) and "peace" (because the vase is a rebus for "peace" (pingan 平安). A peony, the “King of Flowers”. |
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ARTEMISIA LEAF (MUGWORT) The mugwort (ai 艾), also known as Artemisia leaf, is one of a larger group of objects which can be a member of the Eight Treasures. |
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SWASTIKA The swastika is a very old Asian symbol. The extended meaning of wan (万) is "all" such as "the myriad things" as used in the Dao De Jing (道德经), the classic Taoist (Daoist) text written by Lao-zi (老子). |
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RUYI The ruyi (如意), considered one of the Eight Treasures, was a sceptre which represented power and authority. |
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SHOU “Shou” is a traditionally lucky Chinese character in Chinese calligraphy meaning longevity and prosperity. It has been part of Chinese civilization for over 3, 700 years. The earliest form of this character dates back to the Shang Dynasty between 1600 to 1650. It is an old Chinese custom to present a “picture of a 100 Longevity” to a prominent person as a birthday gift. A round “Shou” symbolizes complete and perfect life and health. |
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DOUBLE HAPPINESS “Double Happiness” is the Happiness character of Chinese calligraphy painted twice, so that it becomes “Shuang Xi” – Double Happiness. This character is used everywhere at and during Chinese weddings. |
