What is Jixiang for Chinese?

Definition of Jixiang

Jixiang or auspiciousness is not a unique idea in the Chinese culture, but the long history and variety of Chinese culture provides jixiang with rich content and forms. The word is derived from the philosopher Zhuang Zi of the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC), "Jixiang comes from an empty and calm spirit." Later generations gave detailed explanations, "Ji means good deeds; xiang is an indication of happiness." Through the ages, the connotations of a propitious culture have developed with the extension of history. Its social function implies happiness, praying, moral principles, driving out evil spirits and destroying calamities.

Jixiang Culture

Aiming to construct an auspicious circumstance and express a beautiful dream and wish, folk art is the best transmitter of China’s propitious culture. The images associated with luck are called “jixiang patterns" and are found everywhere in life and work. They are classified into images of good fortune, realization of luck and lucky symbols, according to the features of images. The themes implying auspiciousness are uncountable and cover all the fields of life.

The happy and auspicious theme usually comes by ways of quotation, metaphor, analogy, and euphony. Peaches in quotes stand for “longevity,” the peony as “riches and honour,” pomegranates as “many sons”; metaphors such as sheep connote “filial respect” and eight immortals as “congratulating an elderly person’s birthday”; analogies involve plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo and the chrysanthemum as “a man of virtue,” and the lotus as “having good conduct”; euphonies such as: bat as fu (happiness), deer as lu (fame and social status), rooster as ji (luckiness).

The crafts and functions associated with auspicious images are very rich. There are sculptures, paintings, embroideries, prints and dyeing, knitting, metal craft, lacquerware, porcelain, New Year’s paintings, and paper cuttings, along with architectural renderings, garments, containers, decorations, ritual objects, toys.

Fu, lu, shou, xi and cai are at the core of the propitious culture. They are interrelated and interdependent with individually auspicious themes. Folk arts representing the six themes, especially traditional crafts unchanged by modern technique, are not only simple and vivid in form, but are also elaborately made with a rich content. Such art usually reveals these themes and is easy to draw, write, read or remember, thus their popularity among the common people. Though at different historic periods, different themes may dominate, such as praying for happiness and luck, fame and social status, getting pregnant, letting riches and happiness come into the house, and exorcising evil spirits and calamities, fu, lu, shou, xi and cai are always close to the common people and were spread widely and consistently in folk customs.

Fu

Fu means happiness, or good fortune. It covers a wider range than the other five themes, because there are five fus, namely, longevity (or shou), wealth (or cai), peace, virtue, and death without illness. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, a popular painting called “Longevity above Five Fus” was in great demand. The design is the word fu circled by five flying bats. (Bats are used in the painting because in Chinese the word bat sounds the same as the word fu.) In designs of propitious images, there are two kinds of basic symbols representing fu. One uses graphs of gods worshipped in folk culture, such as the Heaven King or the Three Gods of Fu, Lu and Shou. Another borrows marks and drawings with the same sound of fu, such as bat (bianfu), Buddha’s hand (foshou) or cloud grain.

Lu

Lu is the pursuit of fame and social status and evolves from fu. During the Shang and Zhou dynasties (1765-476 BC), to receive royal titles was considered fu; to win a king’s favour was considered lu. In ancient times, the higher the titles, the higher the pay and the social status, so the two main themes of lu culture were to gain higher positions at court and to pass the imperial civil service exam to get a position.

The deer is used as a symbol of lu in auspicious designs because the word deer has the same tone and pronunciation. The marks on the skin of a deer have become a typical symbol of lu culture and are used to decorate studies and stationery.

Shou

Shou is longevity. Shou and fu co-exist; to live long is to have fu. Some popular designs in folk culture have fu and shou side by side, or shou circled by Five Fus. This shows shou and fu were of equal importance. Taoism had a strong influence on China’s culture. Unlike Christians or some Buddhists who believe in an "after life," Taoists believe life is everything, so people value life, especially the current life and want to live longer. Their desire to live longer has become a goal of life, and this idea has become part of the culture and everyday life.

In folklore, fairies never die, so fairies are key characters in shou culture. People believe the Old Man in the North Pole is in charge of the longevity of a country, and a fairy is in charge of the longevity of the common people. Under the influence of Taoism, people longed to find a panacea to achieve eternity. Even Emperor Shihuang, the first emperor of China’s first feudal dynasty, who ordered the building of Xian’s famous Terracotta Warriors, sent his officials to search for medicines from the land where fairies live.

Common people celebrate shou in folk customs and activities. Birthday celebrations are the most common form. The character shou has many shapes and designs. One is to use characters of different fonts to represent shou, and is called the Image of One Hundred Shous.

Xi

Xi implicates joy, happiness or celebration. In everyday life, anything satisfactory and commemoratory is considered a xi event. The once popular Four Xis Poem lists the four most xi events in the olden days: rain after a long draught; meeting unexpected friends in a strange country; candle-lit wedding nights; and winning the imperial civil-service exam. Other xi events include newborn children; moving to a new house; family reunions; harmonious marriages; abundant harvests; ample wealth; and holidays.

The core of xi is to pray for flourishing populations and prosperous families. In folk custom and celebrations, xi is a dominant main theme as in weddings, which need double xi and xi flowers. There are also many other images that symbolize xi, such as magpies, spiders, badgers, lilies, mandarin ducks and lovebirds.

Cai

Cai is fortune; it stands for money and commodities. Among the common people, it could also mean a thriving business, successful official career, a prosperous enterprise or a grand harvest.

The passion for fortune has cultivated many religious ceremonies and figures for people to worship. Marshal Zhao Gong, Fortune God of Five Roads, Fortune God of Scholars, Fortune God of Warriors, and the Fairy Liu Hai are all Gods of Cai worshiped by people from different walks of life. Every Spring Festival Eve, people will light up fireworks to “send poverty away,” on the first day of a Chinese New Year. Opening doors means to "welcome fortunes in," and the fifth day will be a good day to open a new business.

People in ancient times regarded greed as a sign of disloyalty. “Losing fortune” can dispel “misfortune” and “gain virtue.” It seems a way of self-control, but does not hinder ordinary people’s pursuit of wealth. Images of cai include various Gods of Cai, Shaking-Money-Tree, Gathering-Wealth-Pot, Fairy Liu Hai, Golden Frog, Golden Fish, Carp, Peony.