Touched by Indigo - Royal Ontario Museum

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The other represents a stem with twin-headed flowers, a common
symbol of a blissful marriage, implying two people of like mind living
in harmony.
THE GREAT VARIETY OF MOTIFS shown in this work convey
best wishes in every major aspect of a person's life. In the lower half of
the large medallion two carp are swimming in frothy waves. The one
on the right looks up at a dragon in the upper half with its body weaving
in and out of mists and clouds. They illustrate the legend that carp
swimming upstream could metamorphose
into dragons if they managed to pass the
most turbulent stretch of the Yellow River
where a place called Longmen (literally
Dragon Gate) was located at the river's
narrowest point. From this legend a metaphorical
phrase, //' yue Longmen (carp
leaping over the Dragon Gate), has been
created to refer to the few talented and
hardworking scholars who won top honours
in the civil-service examination. This
meaning is underscored by the addition of
a scholar's hat at the bottom of the medallion,
seen floating on waves between the
two carp. In addition, two motifs, wan and persimmon (shizi), used
to decorate the mid-section of the dragon's body are also significant.
Together with some of the ruyi-like clouds they evoke another phrase,
wanshi ruyi (may all desires be fulfilled).
The different designs in the four corners further enrich the symbolism
embodied in this small piece of embroidery. The design in the
upper right is composed of a crane, a small fish, a deer, and a toad
holding a string of coins in its mouth. The crane and deer are standard
symbols of long life. The deer (lu), furthermore, may also mean official
rank and wealth (lu) through punning. The wealth significance is
augmented by the toad (chan) and the coins, both are symbolic of the
legend of Liu Haichan, one of the folk gods of wealth, giving away his
riches before becoming an immortal.3i Likewise, by a play on words,
the fish (yu) suggests the notion of abundance.
A single phoenix is depicted in the lower right corner. This symbol
of femininity balances with the dragons (symbol of masculinity)
in the lower left corner. From the two (shuang) coins (qian) that their
bodies curl around, the term shuangquan may be elicited. It means
good things come doubly. The two stems of lingzhi are implicit not
only with the idea of long life, but also the term ruyi, since the ornamental
ruyi sceptre takes after the form of the lingzhi. When viewed
together with the persimmon motif, the phrase shishi ruyi (may everything
happen according to one's wish) may be evoked.
The idea of long life is also expressed in the upper left corner by
the crane, the wan motif, as well as the meandering scrolls.
The handkerchief is embroidered with cross stitch, back stitch,
and knot stitch. It is hemmed on all sides and overcast in pink, yellow,
light brown, dark blue and pale blue threads in a triangle pattern.
43. HANDKERCHIEF, Cotton and silk floss, 1930-1945, Chengdu, Sichuan province,
980.287.35, L 36 cm x W. 36 cm
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