OLYMPICS /
Cultural Olympics
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chinaculture.org
Updated: 2008-08-10 10:55
4. A Tortoise and a Crane
Turtles and cranes symbolize longevity because both of them enjoy long lives.
5. Two Dragons Playing with Pearls
Legend has it that people used to pray to the dragon in heaven for rain in dry years. The design of dragons playing with pearls is used to celebrate or wish for a copious year.
6. Magpie and Three Longans
The magpie is considered a bird announcing good news. Longans are round-shaped, or yuan in Chinese. Another Chinese word meaning “the first” was also pronounced Yuan. There being three important levels of civil service examinations in ancient China, the pattern of Magpie and Three Longans conveys the wish “may you come out first at each level of the examinations.”
7. Dragon and Phoenix
Dragon and Phoenix are both legendary animals in Chinese mythology, with the dragon the emblem of the omnipotence of the Emperor and the phoenix associated with the elegance of the Empress. The pattern of the dragon and the phoenix signifies nobility, happiness and wedded bliss.
8. Mandarin Ducks and Lotus Seeds
Mandarin ducks exhibit a most striking example of conjugal attachment and fidelity, as the male and the female are always close together. Lotus seeds are emblem of having more sons, with the word lotus pronounced like continuously (Lian), and seeds like sons (Zi) in Chinese.
