Bat
蝙蝠
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Bats in Chinese is called bian fu (蝙蝠) or fu (蝠). The image of bats is often used to represent ‘good luck’ or ‘good fortune’ in Chinese decorative arts. It is not because the Chinese appreciate the appearance of bats, but because ‘蝠 fu’, the Chinese name for bats, happens to pun on ‘福 fu’ for ‘good fortune’, thus bearing an auspicious symbol.
Related Pun Pictures:
May you enjoy long life and always be blessed by good fortune 福寿万年
Fig 1 & 2: porcelain vases, Qianlong period (1736 – 95), Qing dynasty, courtesy of the National Palace Museum, Taipei
Fig 3: porcelain dish, Jiaqing period (1796 – 1820), Qing dynasty, courtesy of the National Palace Museum, Taipei
Fig 4-5: blue-and-white vase, Qianlong period (1736 – 95), Qing dynasty, courtesy of the National Palace Museum, Taipei
Fig 6-7: porcelain vase, Qianlong period (1736 – 95), Qing dynasty, courtesy of the National Palace Museum, Taipei
Fig 8-9: snuff-bottle, Qianlong period (1736 – 95), Qing dynasty, courtesy of the National Palace Museum, Taipei