Greeting Card – Madame White Snake

01/06/2015 //

W110xH150mm, Hong Kong

Aside from all the symbolism that the umbrella has on Hong Kong recently, this is a paper cutout from the scene of the Opera Madam White Snake. The story was set at the West Lake in Sung dynasty, one day in the rain the young gentleman Xu Xian (figure above) saw two pretty girl at the pier and offered the umbrella to them leading to the romance of the story. Earlier on, Xu Xian rescued a white snake, it was moved and fell in love with Xu. The white snake transformed herself into Bai (white) Su Zhen and together with her friend Qing Qing (green) appeared at the pier. Under her magical spell, Xu fell in love with Bai.

Click to see an embroidery of the the same scene.

Tags bai su zhen, greeting card, hong kong, madam white snake, paper cutout, stationary, umbrella, west lake, xu xian

Categories paper, stationary

Twin Teapot

01/05/2015 //

W110xD90xH80mm, China

A special twin teapot for drinking floral tea.

The teapots are conjoined, each with its own compartment; one for tea leaf and one for flower. For the tea enthusiasts, the brewing time for leaf being different from brewing flowers, requiring longer time and hotter water.

Tags container, floral tea, pottery, teapot, twin

Categories container, pottery

Happy New Year! – Daruma Otoshi

01/01/2015 //

DIA50xH180mm, Japan

Happy 2015!

Apart from being the first day of 2015, today is also the Japanese New Year!

Since the Meiji period Japanese new year has changed from the lunar calendar to the Georgian calendar. Most traditional customs remained the same, mochi, bell ringing and the Daruma doll.

The Daruma is a representation of Bodhidharma, the Buddhist monk who introduced Buddhism to China in the 5th Century, he was also well known for his 9 meditation, gazing onto a wall for 9 years. The Daruma figurine is red figure on top of the pile, slightly rounded at the bottom like Bodhidharma meditating in the red robe. Daruma is believed to bring happiness and prosperity and ward off accidents and misfortune and this blessing is renewed every new year.

The aim of the game is to knock off the 5 colour pieces below the Daruma while keep him upright and not falling over. An upright Daruma at the end of the game would symbolize a success for his meditation and also good luck for the player.

Tags 2015, Bodhidharma, daruma, happy new year, japanese, meditation, toy, wood

Categories figurine, toy, wood

Wood Block Print – Shi Zi Dog Print

12/31/2014 //

W440xH300mm, China

The pekingese dogs featured in yesterday’s post is also known as a “shi zi” dog, a lion dog.

Lion, shi zi, is not an animal originated from China, its legendary power and strength has captured the imagination of the people. Though worship for their bravery and power, they are often portrayed as a playful creature. Looking at the clip of the two lions playing, it seems that the Chinese image of the lion look closer to that of a pekingese dog than the lion itself. I wonder if shi zi dog (pekingese) would have been bred basing on this traditional image of the shi zi.