Page 275 - A Dictionary of Chinese Symbols BIG Book
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A Dictionary of Chinese Symbols 268
Two oranges and two fishes in a basket: ‘(May) every year (be) happy!’
Orchid
lan
The word lan can also mean lily or iris. The symbolical significance of the orchid has
to do mainly with its scent. An ‘orchid-room’ is the dwelling-place of a young girl or the
bedroom of a married couple. A beautiful woman’s breath is like the perfume of an
orchid. The word lan = orchid occurs in women’s names only.
Old texts mention bathing in orchid blossom. But this may be a euphemism for
bathing in filth which was supposed to be a cure for possession by spirits. In general,
the flower stands for love and beauty. ‘Golden-orchid Bond’ (jin lan qi) is a close
friendship between two men or women, which is not necessarily sexual. A man can say to
his wife: ‘Above (on earth) we have the (bond of the) golden orchid, below (the earth) we
have the same grave.’ The relationship between two homosexuals can also be described
as a ‘Golden-orchid Bond’.
The ‘Golden Orchid Club’ was limited to the Shun-de area in the province of
Guangdong. This was a ‘young-girl-house’ where girls went to live at puberty and where
they led a fairly free existence: there were also similar houses for young men.
