Little boys
gazing at bats in flight is a traditional chinaware motif, expressive
of the auspicious term "eager expectations of happiness."
It is also a true depiction of life in old Peking.
A Lost Scenario
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A Qing Dynasty (1644-1911)teapot
with bat and cloud pattern.
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Older residents of Beijing cherish their childhood
memories: of summer evenings when neighbors would sit beneath a tree
in their common courtyard, enjoying a cool breeze while chatting and
drinking tea, as children ran around chasing bats that swooped and
flitted overhead. Some of these mischievous children would fling their
shoes at the bats, in hopes of catching one, but always missed, and
the bats seemed to enjoy this game of catch-me-if-you-can. The process
of urban construction that has been ongoing since the-mid 20th century
has drastically reduced the number of bats in downtown Beijing, but
few people are concerned about this change, as bats have little impact
on their lives. As for today's youngsters, they are more interested
in Batman comics than bats, and there are some that have never even
seen one.
According to modern science, the bat is just one of the millions of
animal species on earth, but it has for centuries been a controversial
creature, shrouded in mystery.
Blame and Praise
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Brick carving of five
bats surrounding the character of longevity.
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In ancient times bats were subject to many
theories as regards their odd appearance and habitat. People wondered
how these rats with hairless wings came into being, and there evolved
a belief that a rat would become a bat after eating salt or oil. This
association with rats caused ill fame for bats for centuries.
Cao Zhi, a noted poet of the Three Kingdoms Period (220-280), wrote
a poem entitled About the Bat, which reads: "The bat is born
of an evil spirit, shunned by beasts and rejected by birds."
In one of Aesop's Fables, during a war between birds and beasts the
bat is portrayed as a "Jack of both sides," allying itself
with whichever of the two species is victor. When the two entities
eventually reached a peace agreement, the bat was despised and rejected
by both, hiding by day and coming out only at night.
Later, the bat was used as a kind of medicine that could lengthen
life and cure fear-induced epilepsy in children. According to ancient
medical books, a 1,000-year-old bat is snow-white, and imbibing it
after it has dried in the shade and been ground into fine powder may
lengthen the life span to 10,000 years. This is obviously fallacious,
and there has never been confirmation from anywhere in the world that
longevity or any miracle cure can be obtained by eating bat. Also,
if bat medicine genuinely were to have such a magical effect, bats
would long-since have become extinct.
It was not until modern times that it became common knowledge that
the bat is neither vampire nor knight-errant, but merely a mammal
that can fly. Its radar-like ears, rather than its eyes, help it to
navigate safely at night, as the phrase "blind as a bat"
is based on fact.
A Reversal of Fate
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Happiness in Sight picture
in a cupronickel, a Qing Dynasty saddle accessory.
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After thousands of years of being detested
and feared by humankind, a few centuries ago bats experienced a change
in overall attitude towards them. The Chinese word for bat is bianfu
-- fu being a homophone for happiness, and around the 17th century
bats began to feature in auspicious pictures as a symbol of happiness,
a trend which soon prevailed. By the middle and late Qing Dynasty
(1644-1911) auspicious bat motifs had had become widely used on architecture,
textiles, embroidery, paintings, chinaware, furniture, and brick and
stone carvings. Thanks to artistic license, they are generally given
a far more attractive appearance than is true in real life.
Bats appear in many auspicious pictures. A depiction of five bats
is called the "five blessings" ?è long life, ease,
wealth, honor and joy. Five bats around the character for longevity
in zhuan style means happiness and longevity, while a picture of numerous
bats and peaches signifies a long and happy lifetime. The combination
of a bat and a Chinese copper coin, whose central hole is called its
"eye," is known as "happiness in sight." Zhong
Kui led by a Bat is a traditional Chinese New Year picture. According
to Chinese folklore, Zhong Kui is the god that drives away evil, captures
demons, and brings good luck and happiness. In such pictures, Zhong
Kui wields a sword as a little bat flies above him, thus indicating
the full extent of his powers. The design featuring red bats is called
"limitless happiness," as in the Chinese language red is
homonymous with the character hong, which means great and grand.
Plays on Words
Ancient Chinese people enjoyed punning, and
paronomasia was particularly popular in literary and artistic works.
Though this tradition has since waned, it still retains some influence
on the Chinese people. For example, some people pay big money for
"propitious" car license plates, which usually contain the
number 8, whose pronunciation in Chinese is similar to that of the
character for "making a fortune."
Such word juggling is also popular in auspicious
pictures. The depiction of a bat and a deer connotes forthcoming
happiness and a high official rank. Three halberds in a vase mean
three smooth promotions. A magpie in a plum tree is a popular representation
of great pleasure. The egret, lotus and pollywogs motif suggests
sustained success in imperial examinations, and the picture of a
boy standing among lotus flowers holding a big fish is interpreted
as an ongoing annual surplus.
There are over a hundred auspicious patterns
in China, created by virtue of homophony and trope, but not all
of them are subtle or elegant. For example, a picture composed of
three vats and five persons drinking alcohol, denoting the three
cardinal guides and five constant virtues as specified in the feudal
ethical code, is now defunct.
Mascots embody humankind's desire for and pursuit
of a happy life. They bear the imprint of the era, and are symbolic
of the roots of national culture. Chinese mascots have a history
as long as that of the Chinese people, and are a part of the priceless
heritage of Chinese ancients. Some are still in use, and help lift
the spirits and add beauty to everyday life.
Auspicious bat patterns have a great variety
and are still popular today. In any event, these days bats have
a much "fairer press," regardless of their status as mascot,
because Chinese people are now cognizant that humankind shares the
earth with all forms of life, and that to treat other life forms
in a considerate manner is bound to bring blessings to all.
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