File:Guide leaflet (1901) (14745159196).jpg

Identifier: scienceguide7692amer (find matches)
Title: Guide leaflet
Year: 1901 (1900s)
Authors: American Museum of Natural History
Subjects: American Museum of Natural History Natural history
Publisher: New York : The Museum
Contributing Library: American Museum of Natural History Library
Digitizing Sponsor: IMLS / LSTA / METRO

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monkeylli.-it hecaUiC a ^.od thistanious gourd was theprized possession of thel)enioiis who opposed Sunllou-tzu, the Monkey Fairy,and his master, and wascapable of containing athousand people. Sun bya ckner device exchangedit for a worthless gourd,which he made the Demonsbelieve could contain theentire universe. Because butterflies f^ym-bolize immortality inChinese, as they do inGreek mythology, carvingsof butterflies were buriedwith the dead, and nodoubt the beautiful whitejade butterflies of the KienLung period are survivalsof a symbol handed dow^nfrom Han time. Like mostof the other Chinese carvedforms they have becomehighly conventional,often with peach blos-soms and swastikasrepresented on the ex-tended wings. In the midst of theWestern Paradise onthe border of the Lakeof Gems is the orchardof immortal peach treeswhose fruit ripens everysix thousand years.These celestial peacheshave the mystic virtue It is surmounted by the sundisk between dragons 22 AMERICAN MUSEUM GUIDE LEAFLET
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WHITE JADE GIRDLE PENDANTSCarved with the luck character. To the left is shown the character unembellished, on the right itoccupies the center of the design surrounded by a gourd, a mjstic knot, a sun disk, etc. Whitlock Collection of conferring long life, and thus by eatingthem the Immortals renew their immor-tality. That is why the Peach of Immor-tality is so often carved in jade, and whythe immortal peach blossom is such anauspicious symbol. Almost equally auspicious as one of themagic emblems of Taoism, is the Fungusof Immortality which was supposed togrow only on the sacred mountain HuaShan in the province of Shensi. The con-torted and involved shape of this miracu-lous plant lends itself well to the designsof girdle pendants and it was often carvedin the white jade of the Kien Lung period. Not only are the Chinese fond ofauspicious symbols, but they love a rebus,or as we would say, a pun. The Chineseword for happiness is fu, and the sameword pronounced a little different 1)^ mea

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