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Pendant tells story of 'golden toad'
By Zhao Dan |
September 6, 2009, Sunday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
IN ancient Chinese art history, it is common for artists to include stories of mythology into their creations. The 3.8-centimeter jade pendant (pictured below), displayed in Shanghai Museum, tells the Taoism story of a legendary person called Liu Hai and his toad.
Liu, as the story goes, was a civil servant in 10th century China and finally became a minister of state. He was also a Taoist practitioner, and became a master in it as he got older.
As a pet, he kept a magical three-legged toad which was also his best friend and traveled with him wherever he went. The toad sometimes hid in a well and Liu could make it emerge from the water with a gold coin in its mouth. Liu gave away the money to help people living in poverty.
As a result, Liu was considered a god of prosperity and the three-legged toad was called "golden toad" because it brought money. It was believed, therefore, that a small statue of Liu and his toad would bring the cash flooding in if you had one.
Though he was old when he became a Taoist master, Liu's image usually appears as a boy playing with a toad. It is especially recognizable for the fringe over his forehead, a hairstyle that in Chinese is called "liu hai" after his name. This pendant, found in a Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) tomb in Shanghai's Pudong area, was carved with the hairstyle.
The boy has a beaming grin and raised arm with a bird perched on it. The three-legged toad is on his right knee with its head up, looking at the boy. It looks as if they are playing with each other.
The pendant is made of white jade with light yellow color which is considered to be one of the best classes of jade in China.
Liu, as the story goes, was a civil servant in 10th century China and finally became a minister of state. He was also a Taoist practitioner, and became a master in it as he got older.
As a pet, he kept a magical three-legged toad which was also his best friend and traveled with him wherever he went. The toad sometimes hid in a well and Liu could make it emerge from the water with a gold coin in its mouth. Liu gave away the money to help people living in poverty.
As a result, Liu was considered a god of prosperity and the three-legged toad was called "golden toad" because it brought money. It was believed, therefore, that a small statue of Liu and his toad would bring the cash flooding in if you had one.
Though he was old when he became a Taoist master, Liu's image usually appears as a boy playing with a toad. It is especially recognizable for the fringe over his forehead, a hairstyle that in Chinese is called "liu hai" after his name. This pendant, found in a Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) tomb in Shanghai's Pudong area, was carved with the hairstyle.
The boy has a beaming grin and raised arm with a bird perched on it. The three-legged toad is on his right knee with its head up, looking at the boy. It looks as if they are playing with each other.
The pendant is made of white jade with light yellow color which is considered to be one of the best classes of jade in China.
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