A split watermelon with its seeds showing

This picture depicts two children breaking off a watermelon with their fingers and thumbs. The melon-seeds are showing, and the gaily* decorated basket nearby contains flat peaches and pomegranates*. As an ancient saying goes: “All senior officials are called “zi” which is homonymous with “zi”, meaning “son” or “child”. So to have many “zi” (sons) is a sign of many ministers or high officials in the family. All these show the yearning of the people of ancient times for a happy life.

Note:

“Zi” was an ancient title of respect for a learned or virtuous man.

Child and fish in the lotus pond

This is a picture showing a child swimming in a lotus pond and holding a fish fin in his mouth. Although the theme of the picture is also “to enjoy prosperity year after year” by way of homophones* —— “lian” in “Lianhua” (lotus flower) stands for “lian” in “liannian” (successive years ) and “yu”(surplus*), it breaks away from the conventional* scene of a sitting boy holding a lotus and fish . This makes the scene closer to real life and child more lifelike.

Enjoying prosperity year after year

Here is a boy holding a lotus in his hand and a goldfish in his arms. “lian” in “lianhua” (lotus) stands for its homophone“lian” in “liannian” (successive years) and “yu” (fish) for its homophone “yu”(surplus). Taken together, “liannianyouyu” gives the meaning of “enjoying prosperity year after year” or “to have enough and to spare year after year”.