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Surround yourself with lucky objects, the Chinese believe, and good fortune will come to you. In word and image, this exquisite volume-a delight to hold in the hand-explores the bounteous meanings of the five-fold symbols of happiness: luck, prosperity, longevity, happiness, and wealth. Drenched in color and lavishly illustrated from ancient and modern sources,Five-Fold Happiness interweaves both Chinese and English text. Peaches, the number eight, the imperial color of gold, a cat with one paw beckoning, or the dragon dance-here are some of the familiar images now revealed in their rich significance. Whether readers choose to embrace these symbols in their everyday lives or simply enjoy them on these glorious pages,Five-Fold Happiness is altogether auspicious.… (more)
User reviews
Vivien Sung presents her five concepts with auspicious objects. A surprising number of associations are based on homophones: Sound forms its meaning. Food, animals, objects and color display a very concrete and also ancient manifestation of these concepts (in contrast to more cerebral appeals to ideas), a rich enchanting collection of symbols. The book lacks a further reading section. A companion volume on Chinese negative values and dreads might be less marketable but would be equally interesting.