China · Abundance and fertility
Ruyi
“As you wish”: a sceptre with a reishi-mushroom head, and long life.
What does it mean?
A ruyi is a Chinese sceptre with a curving shaft ending in a cloud- or mushroom-shaped head with lobed edges. An 18th-century jade ruyi in the Royal Collection has a head in the form of the sacred lingzhi (reishi) fungus and is described as a time-honoured symbol of authority [1]. The ruyi was once a symbol of authority; because its name means “as you wish” in Chinese, it later became a motif for “may all your wishes come true”. On an object in the Horniman Museum the god of longevity, a deer, lingzhi and a bat together express the wish for a long life [2].
Related plants
- Reishi mushroom: The head of the ruyi derives from the reishi (lingzhi) mushroom.
Same theme
Sources
Drawing: Bitki Tabanı, interpreted from the traditional motif.