The Symbol of Pear
Posted by sharon in Mysterious Emblem on August 31, 2010
In ancient Chinese culture, the pear is regarded as a symbol of immortality due to the fact that pear trees can live for a very long time.
However, there is an interesting custom that lovers and friends would never share the same pear. Ancient Chinese believed that dividing a pear and share it would lead to separation as in Chinese, the word fen li (sharing a pear) is pronounced the same way as separation. So, in China, you always have to eat a whole delicious pear by yourself.
Compared with pear, Lotus has the same pronunciation of harmony in Chinese. Therefore, it always used to enhance the relationships. Lotus seeds are always served at the wedding party for people believed that they can help to ensure a stable marriage.
the Twelve Beauties of Jinling – Qiaojie
Posted by sharon in Uncategorized on August 30, 2010
Jia Qiaojie is one of the Twelve Beauties of Jinling (refers to the twelve excellent ladies) in the book of The Dream of Red Mansions. She is the youngest girl of the twelve beauties.
She is daughter of Wang Xifeng and Jia Lian. However, the name Jia Qiaojie was not given by her parents. In the book, she was depicted as a girl with poor health ever since she was a child. One day, when Granny Liu (an old rural lady) visited the family of Jia, Wang Xifeng talked about her sickly daughter with Liu. Then she asked Liu to give a name for her daughter (In ancient times, people believed that the name given by the poor can be beneficial to health). Knowing she was born on the 7th day of 7th lunar month, Granny Liu called her “Qiaojie”.
At the very beginning, she lived in the family of Jia as a princess. However, as the family began to decline, her fate changed tremendously. The princess was sold to the bagnio by her relatives. Fortunately, she was saved by Granny Liu, who was once helped by Jia’s mother. Granny Liu did not care about her experience in bagnio. Finally, she married the grandson of Liu and lived a poor but happy life in the country. So, most readers regard her as the luckiest one of the Twelve Beauties.
The writer has pinned part of his hope on the ending of Jia Qiaojie. People should look for a way out after the decline of the family of Jia. Maybe living in seclusion is a better choice.
Goddess of Lightning
Posted by sharon in Chinese Myths on August 29, 2010
The Goddess of Lightning, also called Dian Mu in Chinese, is a supernatural being that has magic power and is in charge of lighting in the heaven. It is said that she is the wife of the God of Thunder. She is viewed as the symbol of justice as she can distinguish good from evil and uphold justice.
The history of the Goddess of Lightning can date back to the period of Song Dynasty (960~1279). In ancient China, the image of the Goddess of Lightning was often depicted as a kind and elegant woman. She has two lightning mirrors, which can help her look carefully whether the person is good or evil.
There spread a legend about the Goddess of Lightning. The legend goes that, in ancient times, there was no lightning during the thunderstorm. One night, the God of Thunder killed a good woman by mistake. He blamed himself for a long time. Then he told the Jade Emperor about this woman. Jade Emperor also commiserated with the woman and conferred the Goddess of Lightning on her. From then on, the God of Thunder and the Goddess of Lightning worked together to chase away the evil spirits and punish the criminals. In order not to kill the good people, the Goddess of Lightning would use her mirror to judge first and then the God of Thunder will make thunder to punish the evil. Therefore, we can always see a flash of lightning before hearing the thunder during the thunderstorm.
