Gifts for Prosperity

Gift giving can be a tricky thing; adding cross-cultural currents to the equation makes things even murkier. What if you give a bad gift? Or one that’s considered bad luck? You’ve probably heard not to give knives at a wedding or a clock for a birthday before. There’s plenty of advice about what NOT to give. But what should you give; what is a good gift? One that won’t offend or put someone on the spot.

Symbolic gifts, ones that represent prosperity go a long way in making an impression without risking offense. The key is to select something of fine quality without getting too extravagant. Something that's too lavish can be as off-putting as a thoughtless or unwanted gift. Birthday, wedding, anniversary and business gifts can all follow the same rule. Fortunately Asian art has centuries worth of symbolism for you to sort though to find a quality gift that will inspire and minimize the chance of insult.

Even when you know a person well, it can be difficult to choose the right gift. When the recipient is just an acquaintance or a business associate the nervous factor increases exponentially. That’s way we’ve compiled a short list of Asian arts with symbolic meanings of prosperity that make great gifts for any occasion. Each is a fine work of art, yet well within budget, even for office parties or Secret Santa events. Asian art allows you to give quality without going over the top.
We should also point out that at Reorient you can have your gift sent already wrapped and with a personalized gift message. There is a small fee for gift wrap but a personalized hand written note is always free.

So here they are, in no particular order, our five auspicious Asian arts for prosperity:

1. Chinese Feng Shui Coins for Wealth and Success: Less then $10 for two sets. These authentic bronze coins are modeled after those minted during the Qing Dynasty. Three are bound together with red string for good luck, wealth and prosperity. The coins have Chinese characters for the names of emperors forged on both sides. The three coins together represent a balance of Heaven, Earth and Humanity in Taoist philosophy and are thought to help attract prosperity to your door.

2. Flowers: Bloom represents impending prosperity. The fruits of your labor, the fruits of the harvest; the path from spring buds to autumn yields is abundantly clear. Before there’s fruit, there are always flowers. Depictions of flowers and floral motifs in Asian art have a symbolic dimension, representing wealth upon the horizon. You can find flowers in watercolor paintings, flowers on porcelains or flowers carved from stone. All make for thoughtful, inexpensive gifts.


3. The Five Blessings Buddha: In China there are thought to be 5 essentials for a happy life -health, wealth, longevity, virtue, and a peaceful passing. Our hand crafted ceramic figurine represents the 5 essentials with his colony of 5 bats. Why bats? In Chinese the word for bat has a similar pronunciation to the words for “blessings” or “riches.” So bats have become a common motif in Asian arts for good fortune and prosperity. The number 5 can also be auspicious as it has association with the five elements (water, wood, fire, earth and metal).

4. The Fingered citron or “Buddha's Hand” citron: It is a tangy juiceless citrus fruit. It has long finger like sections, which resemble the fingers of Quan Yin perched for prayer. In China the fruit symbolizes prosperity and longevity. When it is given as a gift it represents a wish for good fortune upon the recipient. Reorient has a small supply of vintage hand carved jade pieces fashioned in the shape of the Buddha’s hand. Not only are these beautiful treasures to bestow upon someone but as fine jade pieces they are also sure to increase in value.

5. The Butterfly: Butterflies are among the luckiest of Chinese symbols for prosperity. Due to linguistic similarities butterflies have come to represent not just prosperity and long life but a piling up, or accumulation, of both. Butterflies are used to decorate all kinds of wonderful gift items and arts in China. Reorient has some unique and affordable selections for gift giving that will impress your friends, family or associates without impairing your budget.

Taoism and Oxblood Red Porcelain

Taoism is as much a lens for looking at the world, as it is a philosophy. Taoist reasoning works its way into so many aspects of Chinese culture that it is difficult to separate them out. From the ancient arts of Tai Chi and Kung Fu to the most basic elements of writing with a brush, the concept of balance, finding harmony in the universe, permeates everything. Yet Taoism is not a specific religion or school of thought based on a specific collection of ancient texts. Taoism is more of an abstract idea that gets played out in painting, architecture, landscaping, meditation, military tactics, writing, cooking and the myriad acts and arts that make up life.

Most often Taoism is literally translated as “the path” or “the way,” which isn’t particularly helpful to understanding what “path” that might mean. In one way it can be thought of as the “ethical” way. But Taoism can also be interpreted as the path of least resistance. Overall the Tao is better thought of as “seeking balance.” In Chinese landscape paintings for example there is a concerted effort to portray a balance of elements and energies. The mountains, solid and immovable, are cut by water, fluid and ethereal. They co-exist and yet both push and pull against one another. Rock may stand in the river’s way but water will seek a path down and eventually wear its way through the rock. There is always this give and take such that you reach an effortless balance, precisely like the arm of a scale hovering in equilibrium. It’s a matter of “is” and “isn’t” in equal doses.

Creating art in China is very much an exercise and an exploration of Taoist balance, even when it isn’t called that by name. Buying arts in China is too. Westerners who go in seeking the deal, the low cost, the great savings, often come out disappointed. The same is true whether you are buying stone carvings or car parts. People from the West, focused entirely on price, will come away complaining of quality or difficulty in working with suppliers. But the fact is they sought a deal that was unbalanced. When you negotiate in China you are negotiating two things, price and what you will get for that price. You may think price is the only thing that changes in the negotiation, but it is not. The finished product, at least in the mind of the supplier will also fluctuate with the price.

On our trips to China we always try to keep this form of business Taoism, or the Tao of buying, in mind. We are able to find and procure some of our best values when we remember not to seek a price but a balance. It may seem incongruous, but we are often able to offer some of our highest quality items at exceptionally low prices because we sought the Tao of value. Our fine oxblood porcelain pieces are just such an example.

Oxblood porcelain is itself an exercise in balance. The dramatic red coloration, with a certain luster and texture is not simply a matter of glaze and heat. To get that real authentic oxblood there must be a precise balance of glaze ingredients and kiln atmosphere as well as proper temperature. Too much oxygen in the kiln, or not enough and you may end up with blue or purple instead of the brilliant red. It is all a matter of balance.