Search by Subject
Search by Institution
May Everything Be as You Wish(Shih Shih Ju I)

Tags: art | belief

It depicts three children, the tallest of whom stands in the middle; his hands hold a Ru Yi, under which hang two persimmons, symbolizing all wishes coming true. In Chinese imageries of auspiciousness, the tradition calls for the symbolization of abstract ideas through concrete things. The boy standing on the left side holds a vase, in which there are one peony and one bay flower. Peony symbolizes wealth while bay flower symbolizes scholastic achievement and official position. The boy standing on the right side holds hand fan behind the boy standing in the middle. The image symbolizes prosperous descendents, full of fortune, and full of poetry. Clusters of gourd symbolize generations of descendents; bats symbolize fortune; cranes symbolize longevity. This print is used to decorate the doors. 


National Museum of History