Page 94 - Chinese Porcelain Vol I, Galland

62 CHINESE PORCELAIN.

button on the hat. Promotion is one at a
generally step time,
but the emperor has power to move a man up three or Rye
grades at a stride. The coral and two feathers indicate pro-
motion three
steps at a time, but when there are four feathers
with the coral it means the five at once.
steps The coral is
supposed to represent a tree which grew at the bottom of the
sea, called Thi Chew, or Iron tree, and is, therefore, an emblem
of while the feathers denote rank also No.
longevity, (see 232).
Doolittle, p. 263 : " One of the most common and most
valued marks of imperial favour and approbation (promotion in
rank and office excepted) bestowed upon civil and military
officers as a reward for their faithful services, is one of a certain
called
kind of feathers, generally peacock's feathers. There
are various kinds of these feathers, each kind a
indicating
certain degree of honour, or the comparative value put upon
the services which the emperor wishes to reward and to com-
memorate. One kind of as the ' '
is
spoken flower feather,
another as the ' green ' feather, another as the ' one-eyed '
feather, another as the ' two-eyed ' feather, and another as the
'
' feather. These are treasured
three-eyed up as marks of great
honour by the recipients, and worn on public occasions. By
the feather worn a
simply inspecting by mandarin, and regard-
its colour, or whether it has one or more '
ing eyes,' he who is
with the value set
acquainted comparative upon these things
understands the degree of approbation which the emperor has
been to bestow the wearer. One of the
pleased upon great
incentives to bravery on the part of soldiers, is that of expecting
to receive the reward of wearing a peacock's feather bestowed
by the emperor."
No. 62. Squirrels and vine. Anderson, p. 228 : " An old
Chinese motive. The first picture of ' The Squirrel and Vine '
to have been Yuen a famous
appears painted by Ming Chang,
"
artist of the Sung dynasty (see No. 321).
Straw Broom. — This is probably a Buddhist symbol.
"
198 Han Shan and Shih-te are described as two
Anderson, p. :
earnest devotees of Buddhism, who, for a time, looked after
the kitchen fire of the temple of Kuo-Ching-ssu, and used to
the whole in a which none others
spend day talking language
could understand. They were called the unstable madmen,
and were with no one save the Kan.
friendly priest, Feng . . ,