Page 470 - Chinese pottery and porcelain : an account of the potter's art in China from primitive times to the present day

294 Chinese Pottery and Porcelain

incense-stick, have a place on the domestic altar. Another m}i;hical

creature not unlike the lion is the pi hsieh of archaic art which
is supposed to ward off evil spirits.^

The king of beasts in China is the tiger (hu), whose forehead is

marked by Nature with the character wang 3E (prince). He is the

solar animal, the lord of the mountains, and the chief of all quad-
rupeds. The white tiger represents the western quadrant and

the autumn ; and images of tigers in ancient times served many
purposes, such as guarding the graves of the dead and summoning

the living to battle.

In addition to the sea monsters there are sea horses, who speed

at a fiij^ng gallop over waves ; and there are the pai ma and lung
ma and the eight horses of Mu Wang, already described, to represent

the horse in art. The deer is a Taoist emblem of longevity, and

also in its name lu suggests the auspicious word lu (preferment)
;

and there is a fabulous one-horned creature distinct from the ch'i lin,

and known as the fien lu or deer of heaven. Rams are sometimes

represented as personifying the revivifying powers of spring ; and
the monkey occasionally figures in decoration, his name hou sug-

gesting another word hou, which means to expect (office), and pro-

viding an appropriate design for presentation to a candidate in the

State examinations. Another motive suitable for the same purpose

is the fish leaping from waves, which has been already explained
;

and fish in general are cleverly depicted by the porcelain decorators

swimming among water plants. The fish has always been a favourite

motive in China, and in ancient art it appears to have symbolised

power and rank. The double fish is one of the Buddhist emblems,

and also symbolises conjugal felicity. The tortoise has already

been mentioned among the emblems of longevity.

Birds are drawn with wonderful skill and spirit by Chinese

artists, and they provide a frequent motive both for the painter

and figure modeller. The crane is the companion of Shou Lao and

a symbol of long life ; a pair of mandarin ducks suggest conjugal
affection ; egrets among lotus plants, geese, and wild duck in marshy
landscapes also pleased the Chinese fancy. The magpie is an emblem

of happiness, and two magpies foretell a happy meeting; the cock

is the bird of fame, and he is often associated with the peony, which

is the fu kuei flower, to suggest the phrase ku7ig ming (fame), /w kuei

(riches and honours !). There are other birds which are associated

1 See Laufer, Jade, pi. 43.