Page 96 - Chinese Porcelain Vol I, Galland

CHINESE PORCELAIN.
64
After the death of Feng Kan, he (Han Shan) was visited in
the mountains by Lii Ch-iu, who found him and his associate,
Shih-te, seated by a fire laughing and talking. Lii Ch-iu
bowed respectfully, upon which they rated him loudly with one
voice, and after this made speeches and behaved like madmen,
into a crevice of the '
finally retreating rock, crying, Ye men,
be diligent, every one of you, in practising the law of
Buddha.' . . . The two rishis are always represented as juvenile
dressed in
figures, poorly boyish attire, their mischievous faces
lined with the crow-feet of old age. When in the same picture
they are usually shown in delighted contemplation of a manu-
roll ; if Shih-te is the
script painted separately, distinguished by
of a besom, and Han Shan holds the scroll." This
possession
is the Japanese version, but it no doubt has its equivalent in
China.
Purse. — Davis, vol. i. p. 332 : " Among the presents sent
to, or, in the language of Peking diplomacy, conferred upon,
is the embroidered silk one of which
foreign sovereigns, purse,
the old Emperor Kein-loong took from his side and gave to the
who officiated as to Lord
youth page Macartney. This, how-
ever, was of the imperial yellow colour, with the five-clawed
and could be worn Chinese who
dragon, hardly by subjects,
the most reverence and admiration
always displayed profound
when they saw it, and knew it was from the great emperor's own
Purses and in so far as be red
person." bags, except they may
in colour, do not seem so much to be charms in themselves as
to be used for the safe keeping of charms. Doolittle, p. 561 :
"
Two small conical-shaped bags from four to six inches
made of red silk or red cotton sus-
long, cloth, are often
pended upon the ridge-pole while the house is being built,
or hung under the front eaves for a while after the house is
finished. Into these bags are put sometimes five kinds of
sometimes five kinds of
grain, copper coins, one for each five
consecutive emperors, or five iron nails, each of different lengths.
Sometimes five such coins are put under the door-sill, and
another five are also placed under the kitchen furnace when
built. The object of all this is to secure good luck to the
builder or the family inhabiting the house."
Knife. — Doolittle, p. 561 : " A knife that has been used in
a is valued as a charm. It
killing person highly is hung up