The surge of American interest in Chinese culture following the visit of President Nixon to China in 1972 has highlighted the healthy trend of recent years to look at China in a realistic way. Since the thirteenth-century visit of Marco Polo to China, the country has been regarded by the West as an exotic Flowery Land--a Celestial Kingdom, remote and forbidding. Until the sixteenth century it was a land that did not come under strong foreign, then Western, influence. The Japanese occupation of Manchuria in the 1930s, followed by the emergence of Chinese communism after World War II, gave the world a sober picture of a vast country intent on asserting its own destiny. The explosion of a Chinese atomic bomb, followed by recognition as a nation in the United Nations Organization, obliged the United States to recognize the Chinese nation of 800,000,000 people.

...

The Eight Immortals, the five elements, the dragon and the phoenix,yin and yang---representations of these important cultural symbols are pervasive in Chinese literature, art, and architecture and without an understanding of their significance, much Chinese history, folklore,and culture cannot be fully appreciated. In this comprehensive handbook, C.A.S. Williams offers concise explanations of these essential symbols and motifs. Arranged alphabetically for easy access, the book not only explains essential cultural symbols, accompanied by their Chinese characters, but also contains many articles on Chinese beliefs, customs, arts and crafts, food, agriculture, and medicine. This fourth revised edition of Chinese Symbolism and Art Motifs, first published in Shanghai in 1941, has been completely reset and now uses the Pinyin pronunciation of Chinese names and words. The book has become a standard reference volume for students of China and Chinese culture.

For those who are visiting China, Chinese Symbolism and Art Motifs is an indispensable guide to the Middle Kingdom's artistic and architectural wonders. For the general reader, it is a valuable compendium of fascinating sinological lore.

A

Agriculture

Alarm-staff

Amber

Amitabha

Amusements

Ananda

Ancestral Worship

Ant

Apple

Apricot

Architecture

Astrology

Astronomy

Axe

Azalea

B

Bamboo

Bat

Bear

Beast of Greed

Bee

Begging-bowl

Bell

Birds and Beasts

Birth

Bodhi Tree

B6 Gu Tu

Books

Brahma

Bronze

Broom

Buddha's Hand

Butterfly

C

Cangue

Canopy

Carpets

Castanets

Cat

Cedrela

Chain

Charms

Cherry

Chinaware

Chisel-knife

Chrysanthemum

Cicada

Club

Coins

Colours

Compass

Conch-shell

Conch-shell Trumpet

Confucius

Convolvulus

Coral

Costume

Cotton

Crane

Cricket

Cross-thunderbolt

Crow

Crown of Brahma

Curios

Cycle of Sixty

D

Dagger

Da Yu

Death

Deer

Diamond Mace

Diaper Patterns

Di Zang

Dog

Donkey

Door Gods

Dove

Dragon

Dragon-fly

Drama

Drum

Duck

E

Eight Diagrams

Eight Immortals

Eight Treasures

Eighteen Lohan

Elephant

Elixir of Life

Embroidery

Enamelware

F

Falcon

Fan

Feng Shui

Fire

Fish

Five Elements

Five Poisons

Five Viscera

Flags

Flowers

Flute

Fly-whisk

Footprints of Buddha

Four Heavenly Kings

Four Treasures

Fowl

Fox

Ffi Yi

G

Gall-bladder

Glow-worm

Goad

God of Fire

God of Literature

God of Longevity

God of the Kitchen

God of War

God of Wealth

Gold

Gong

Goose, Wild

Gourd

Grain Measure

Grape

H

Hammer

Hand

Hare

Heart

Hemerocallis

Horse

Hundred Antiques

I

Idols

Intestines

Iron

Islands of the Blest

J

Jade

ar

Jasmine

K

Kidneys

Kingfisher

Kuan Yin

L

Lacquer

Lamaism

Laocius

Lapis Lazuli

Leopard

Lion

Liver

Lotus

Lozenge

Lungs

Lute

M

Mace

Magnolia

Magpie

Maitreya Buddha

Manjusri

Marriage

Medicine

Mencius

Mirrors

Monkey

Moon

Mosquito

Mulberry

Musical Instruments

Mystic Knot

N

Narcissus

Nezha

Numbers

O

Oak

Olea Fragrans

Oleander

Opium

Orange

Orchid

Owl

Ox

P

Pagoda

Painting

Palm-tree

Pan Gu

Parrot

Peach

Peacock

Pear

Pearl

Peng Niao

Peony

Persimmon

Pheasant

Phoenix

Pig

Pike

Pine

Plant of Long Life

Plantain

Plum

Pomegranate

Praying-mantis

Pu Xian

Q

Quail

Queen of Heaven

R

Rat

Reed-organ

Rhinoceros Horns

Rice

Ring

Rosary

Rvyi

S

Scroll

Seals

Secret Societies

Seven Appearances

Shakyamuni Buddha

Sheep

Shop-signs

Shvn

Silk

Silver

Skeleton Staff

Skull-cup

Snake

Snare

Spear

Spritualism

Spleen

Stars

Stomach

Stone

Stone Chime

Sv Shi

Sun

Swallow

Swastika

Sword

T

Taiji

Tea

Ten Celestial Stems

Thigh-bone Trumpet

Three Great Beings

Three Pure Ones

Thunderbolt

Thunderbolt-dagger

Tiger

Toad

Tortoise

Trees

Trident

Twelve Ornaments

Twelve Terrestrial Branches

U

Umbrella

Unicorn

V

Vase

Vermicelli

Vulture Peak

W

Water

Water-pot

Weiqi

Wei Tu6

Wheel of the Law

Willow

Wish-granting Gem

Wolf

Wood

Written Characters

X

Xi Wring Mu

Y

Yama

Yao

Yin and Yang