Famille Verte Beaker Decorated with Auspicious Birds, Flowers, and Garden Rocks

This colorful design of pheasants and magpies frolicking in a garden with decorative rocks and flowers is filled with complex visual puns that carry wishes for good fortune. The peony (fùguìhuā 富贵花) is a popular and symbolic flower in Chinese culture, often standing for nobility, wealth, and distinction, while rocks are usually symbols of longevity and stability. Placed together, they suggest the phrase “May you live long and achieve wealth and honor” (cháng-mìng fùguì 长命富贵). Furthermore, the combination of magnolia (yùlán 玉兰) and crab apple blossoms (hǎitáng 海棠) with the peonies suggests the phrase “May your noble house be wealthy and honored” (yùtáng fùguì 玉堂富贵). Pairs of birds suggest a happy marriage, particularly the magpies (xǐquè 喜鹊), because the first character of their name means “happiness.”