Page 338 - A Dictionary of Chinese Symbols BIG Book

A-Z 331

Far away, single characters are painted by smoke on the sky, mysterious words in code.
In certain metaphors for brothels (‘Smoke and Blossom Camp’, yan-hua zhai) and
prostitutes (‘Flowers of Smoke’, yan-hua) Chinese has created memorable emblems of
brief and transitory pleasures.
Snake Snake

she

The snake is the fifth creature in the Chinese zodiac. It is one of the five noxious
creatures, and is regarded as clever but wicked and treacherous: and treacherous people
are said to have a ‘snake-heart’. Formerly, snakes were objects of worship, especially
along the great rivers of China, as river-gods were often imagined in the form of snakes.
For example, the god of the Yellow River was a small golden-coloured snake with a
square head and red dots under the eyes. This snake-god was very fond of theatrical
shows which were laid on in order to keep him in a good mood. Some snake-gods
demanded the sacrifice of a young girl on a certain day each year – until a hero
disguised in women’s clothing could come along and kill the snake.
As in West Asian myths, snakes could make gifts of pearls or other jewels. One
well-known legend tells how a youth rescues a snake which rewards him with precious
stones; but then the Emperor expresses a wish for snake-liver, and the youth asks his
snake to donate its liver. This is going too far, and the snake swallows him up.
Snake-liver is even today much sought after for its medicinal properties. A lot of
snake-meat is eaten in Taiwan, as it is supposed to be good for the eyes. Snake fat, on the
other hand, is very dangerous stuff: if a man eats it, his penis will shrivel up and never be
much use to him again.
Snakeskin should not be thrown away: keep it – sooner or later, it will bring you

riches. Dreams about snakes are interpreted in various ways. It is lucky to dream that a
snake is chasing you. A dream about a black snake presages the birth of a daughter;
one about a whitish-grey one, the birth of a son. In Taiwan, dreaming about a snake
means you are going to lose wealth, and if the snake coils itself round you