Page 98 - Chinese Porcelain Vol I, Galland

66 CHINESE PORCELAIN.

the Buddhists No. These are also carried students
(see 76). by
and recluses, as also by the ladies in attendance on the empress.
At p. 63, Mayers gives the tale of a handmaiden of Yang Su,
the celebrated champion of the Sui dynasty (a.d. 615), who
took her name, Hung-Fu Nu, from the " red " she held
fly flap
in her hand when she stood behind her lord.
No. 69. Bird on The of this will
perch. meaning probably
depend upon the signification given to the particular bird (see
also No.
364).
No. 70. Peach, emblem of as also of
marriage, longevity.
The Chinese seem to draw this fruit with a conical
generally
top.
No. 71. Fish. As in the case of No. 69, the meaning
probably depends on the sjDecies to which it belongs. In this
case the fish may be intended to represent the one supposed to
live in the bottom of Buddha's lotus
pond ; but is more likely
to be intended for a which in China is sometimes used as
carp,
an emblem of also No. 268 as to of
longevity (see sturgeons
the Yellow Biver).
Nos. 72, 73, 74. Vessels for holding water with small spoon,
by which to lift the water to the inkstone. Sometimes the
Chinese of five of of the
speak (instead four) precious things
the fifth either be these the
library ; may jars for holding
water, or the pen-stand. Occasionally, the water-pot and
brush-rest are made in one ; when thus combined they would
form the fifth
precious thing.
No. 75. We get the front view of this in No. 323, where
it is fitted with a ribbon.
Pestle and Moetae.— "
Mayers, p. 109 : The Indigo
at the ancient is cele-
bridge, capital of China, Ch'ang-ngan,
brated both as the bridge under which the steadfast Wei-sheng
Kao lost his life, and still more as the scene of the marvellous
adventure of P'ei Hang, a scholar of the T'ang dynasty, re-
whom the romance is narrated
specting following : Passing
this bridge one day on his way to his native place, and being
athirst, he entered a hut, where an old crone gave him to drink
from a vessel which she summoned her to
daughter bring.
The features of marvellous and in
girl displayed beauty, reply
to the scholar's stated that she was called Yun a
inquiry, Ying,
name of which he had been warned in a dream. He forthwith