Tags: blessing | print

This set of decorative paintings is made up of two halves. The background of this painting is interspersed with the patterns of xi (double happiness) and zi sun wan dai (endless generations of offspring). The painting presents two figures ceremonially dressed as civil officers and holding official ivory tablets, each carrying a flower pot that bears the Chinese characters wu fu (the five blessings), and lin men (arrive at the door), respectively, as a benediction for the coming year. According to the Book of the Great Plan in the Classic of History (Shangshu), the five blessings include: first, longevity; second, wealth; third, health and peace; fourth, doing good; and fifth, enjoying a ripe old age. People these days use Wu Fu Lin Men as praying words but seldom know exactly what these five blessings are. The phrase “Helping others is the source of happiness” that Dr. Sun Yat-sen preached is essentially “Doing good”, one of the five blessings.

Printmaking
51.5 x61.5 cm

National Museum of History