Auspicious Design on China Silk
The auspicious design on , originated in Shang Dynasty (16th-11th century BC), developed in Tang (618-907) and Song (960-1279) dynasties and reached its greatest in Ming (1368 - 1644) and Qing (1644 - 1911) dynasties. The auspicious design has become the symbol of China national spirit and 
In Ming and Qing dynasties, every design is endowed with auspicious meanings. What the designs wants to express can be summed up in four meanings, "Fu, Gui, Shou and Xi". "Fu" means rich or good harvest. "Gui" symbolizes power and prestige. "Shou" is related to longevity and safety. "Xi" refers to marriage, the blessings of children and friendship. The auspicious designs on the silks in Ming and Qing dynasties have a vast range of themes: birds and beasts; flowers, grass, trees and stones; bees, bugs and fish. The deep meanings are expressed by three composition ways. The first and most commonly used one is by decorative design, the second is by euphony and the third one is by written description.
The expression of meaning by decorative design is to extend the sense of natural properties of animals and plants, such as the use of dragon, phoenix and boa to stand power and honor. The dragon is always regarded as the totem of Chinese nation, thus the dragon patterns are widely used in arts and crafts. In Ming and Qing Dynasties, the patterns of the golden dragon with five claws were the exclusive use of royal families. The cypress tree, due to its immortal greenness, is often used in a blessing of longevity. The Silktree Albizzia leaves extend in the morning and fold in the evening, which symbolizes the harmony between couples. The many seeded fruits such as pomegranate and grapes are a wish of more sons and more blessings. Peach and crane imply a long life.
The expression of meaning by euphony is closely related to Chinese partial tones. The distinct feature of Chinese characters makes the existence of euphony and pun. A speech sound often corresponds to several Chinese characters. For example,Sexy silk dresses, in Chinese, the pronunciations of "bottle" and "peaceful" sound the same. The partial tone of the magpie is happiness and the partial tone of longan or sweet osmanthus is honorable.
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