China Red Pack "Gift Of The Year 2008"

From among the ocean of Chinese ancient crafts, we've selected these 12 items which deliver the most prominent Chinese cultures to share with you. (Source: www.chinaredpack.com)

1. Chinese Happiness Knots

Chinese Knot is the product of one form of Chinese folk art 'Weaving', and it is sometimes referred as "Decorative knots" in some other cultures. Chinese use knots for decoration purposes, like hanging in the middle of the wedding hall, home hanging during Chinese New Year, and most of other happy and auspicious occasions.

Chinese Knot originates from China, apparently, yet in the ancient Chinese time, specifically, Tang and Song Dynasty in the Chinese calendar and 960-1279 AD in the Western. The word 'Knot' in Chinese has the meanings of reunion, friendliness, warm, and marriage, so the red knot has come to be the Chinese symbol of reunion, luck, harmony, and love.

Do you know that one Chinese Knot is made (bent, tied and crafted) of ONE single rope, incredible, right?

While Chinese knots have many specific forms and meanings, the square-shaped "Chinese Happiness Knot" is the most famous type. "Full of joy", "Happiness & Longevity", "Double Happiness", "Luck and Auspiciousness as one wishes" are all it's telling as the warmest regards, best wishes and finest ideal in Chinese traditional pleasant phrases.

2. Chinese Paper Lanterns

Chinese paper lanterns, the traditional Chinese folk craftwork, are popular all over the country. The lantern is the art form mixed of Chinese drawings, Chinese paper cut and Chinese embroidery.

The paper lantern dates back to Han Dynasty in ancient China, around 1800 years ago. In different regions of China, diverse materials like bamboo, wood, straw, silk, bone and metal are all utilized for making lantern. lanterns play an important and irreplaceable role in Chinese long history and symbolize the brilliant culture of China.

The craftwork of lantern is widely used during Chinese New Year, weddings and celebration ceremonies. At ancient time, when there was no electricity, lanterns were used as a tool of illumination, which brought great convenience to everyday life. At that time, people of all classes admired the specific culture of lanterns. As verified by historians, Chinese lantern was the earliest invented portable illumination instrument in the world.

3. Chinese Paper Cuts

Papercut is an art form originally created in China. Around the first century A.D., the Chinese invented that most flexible, versatile and adaptable material, paper. The first papercut can be traced date back to the period known as the Northern and Southern Dynasties (386-581 A.D.). In the Tang Dynasty paper cuts are in the subject of poems described as being used to decorate plants and worn by ladies in their hair in form of butterflies and flowers.

Today, papercuttings are chiefly decorative. They ornament walls, windows, doors, columns, mirrors, lamps and lanterns in homes and are also used on presents or are given as gifts themselves. Entrances are decorated with paper cut outs is supposed to bring good luck. Papercuttings used to be used as patterns, especially for embroidery and lacquer work.

In Chinese culture it can reflect many aspects of life such as prosperity, health, or harvest. Some cuttings represent stories about the happiness gained from the accomplishment of common goals.

4. Chinese Fish Pendant Knot

Fish or carp specifically, has a long tradition in Chinese culture and literature. The carps jump, and sometimes they can jump 8–10 feet (2.5–3 m) into the air. This jumping feature is set in such a proverbial Chinese idiom as "Carp jumps over the Dragon Gate," an idiom that conveys a vivid image symbolizing a sudden uplifting in one's social status, as when one ascends into the upper society or has found favor with the royal or a noble family through success in civil examination or through marriage.

This symbolic image, as well as the image of carp itself, has been one of the most popular themes in Chinese paintings and decoration products, especially those of popular styles.

In Chinese culture, the fish is usually colored in gold color and Chinese red, shimmering with an unmistakably auspicious tone. The cute fish knot pendant are for hanging in your car, on your bike, your bag, or anywhere you like to put it. The key is, the fish pendant will deliver all the luck to you and your family in the long Chinese traditions.

Another ancient story in the Chinese fish culture is a popular lyric circulating as early as two thousand years ago in the late Han period includes an anecdote which relates how a man far away from home sent back to his wife a pair of carp, in which when the wife opened the fish to cook was found a silk strip that carried a love note of just two lines: “Eat well to keep fit” (first line) and “Missing you and forget me not” (second line).

5. Chinese Embroidery Handbag

Embroidery is a very long established art form in China. Though it is difficult to be precise as to when embroidery first was practiced in China, based on archeological excavations of tombs it at least dates back to the early Han dynasty in the early second century B.C.

The items embroidered are quite diverse and include robes, theatrical costumes, purses, shoes, spectacle cases, banners, alter cloths and many other pieces. Some of the pieces were so finely stitched that the pieces took 5-6 people several years to complete. Embroidery was also used as a means of decorating silk clothing and for silk flags and banners as a means of denoting rank or station.

6. Chinese 'Fu' String Paper Cuts

Though named paper cut as well, Chinese stringlike paper cut is the one form of Chinese paper cut comes with the magic like effects while being decorated.

The stringlike paper cut we deliver to you follows the typical Chinese paper cut form, with flower shapes on above and the 'Fu' character form in below.

'Fu' is the Chinese character that best explained the Chinese culture, and is a must in Chinese New Year celebrations. 'Fu', literally means auspiciousness, blessing or happiness, and it appears as a cultural symbol to express people's wishes for the coming new year.

Chinese have the traditions of pasting the 'Fu' character on walls, doors and doorposts. One useful tip for the Chinese culture is that 'Fu' written on paper can be pasted both normally and upside down, since in Chinese the phrase "reversed Fu" is homophonic with "Fu comes", which presents an even more auspicious and blessing meaning.

7. Chinese Ancient Silk Top

Chinese traditional silk top is one popular artistic work of underwear wearing mainly by women and children in old time. It is always made into flexible diamond shape with strings for tiding around her neck and waist. Its primary function is for her to covering chest and belly to keep warm.

Though men and kids are all okay wearing it, nowadays, the silk top almost symbolizes the mystery and erotic elements of women underwear.

The Chinese silk top can be appreciated from its embroidery motifs. Diverse embroidery delivers different implication, for example, the "Magpies chattering in plum blossom" is for luck, "Little fat boy holding big fish in arms" for well living every year, "Liu Hai playing with three-legged toad" for gaining wealth, and "Lovebirds swimming around" for love in the Chinese culture.

The sexy silk top with Peonies Bloom motif (See picture above) symbolize blessing and wealth, since you know, Peony is a national flower of China.

8. Chinese Dress Wine Bottle Cover

The 'cheongsam', sometimes referred simply as "Chinese Dress", or "Qi Pao" in Chinese, is evolved from sorts of traditional Chinese dress and clothing of 'Man' ethnic minority group of China.

Key reason people prefer wearing the 'cheongsam' is that it fits well with the female figure, which depict simple beautiful lines which makes her look elegant.

Besides, cheongsam presents different styles with different materials. Cheongsams made of silk with patterns of flower lets, plain lattices or thin lines demonstrate the charm of femininity and staidness, while those made of brocade are eye-catching and magnificent and suitable for occasions of greeting guests and attending banquets.

Cheongsam features strong national flavor and embodies beauty of Chinese traditional costume. It not only represents Chinese female costume but also becomes a symbol of the oriental traditional costume.

The 'shrinked' Chinese dress is for wearing on the wine bottle, the elegant dress for the wine definitely give your dinner table the sense of Chinese, and surely the good appetite.

9. 'Shou' Chinese Coin Purse

You may notice the big graphic Chinese symbol sewing on this red coin purse. It says the Chinese character 'Shou'. 'Shou' means longevity. Hundreds of different writing and scripting forms are used for this Chinese character, thus Chinese has its famous and amazing "A Hundred Shou" painting symbolizing the grand wishes for human longevity. The 'Shou's are always written or embroidered in an artwork of calligraphy. This is done as an artistic, and usually expensive, birthday gift to a prominent or important figure at his birthday feast.

10. Chinese New Year Red Envelope

Friend, you must have heard Chinese Red Envelope. Red envelopes or red packets are gifts to give during Chinese social and family gatherings such as the Chinese New Year and other special occasions. The red color of the envelope symbolizes good luck and is supposed to ward off evil spirits.

There are no clear literary sources to trace the origin of the red envelope tradition. In China, during the Qing Dynasty, the elderly would thread coins with a red string. The money was called "Yasui Qian" meaning "money warding off evil spirits", and was believed to protect the elderly from sickness and death.

During Chinese New Year, red envelopes are typically given to the unmarried by the married, regardless of age.

11. "Double Happiness" Gift Bag

You may wonder what is this cute little red bag for, and you may also curious about the nice looking Chinese symbol on the bag. Here we'd happy to share their Chinese cultural implications with you.

The Chinese character (See above) says "Double Happiness" or in Chinese "Shuang Xi". "Double Happiness", sometimes referred as "Double Joy" is a Chinese character that combines the two characters of 'Happiness', and means doubling of the happiness literally. You can see why it's so loved by the Chinese people, and I bet you love it too.

"Double Happiness" often appears on decorative items associated with Chinese New Year celebrations and Chinese weddings. It is often found all over the wedding ceremony, as well as on wedding gift items given to the bride and groom.

12. Chinese Good Luck String

If you ask a Chinese, from among a world of colors which one is most favored, the answer must be color red, and if you want one more, gold color would be the answer.

Color Red is fresh and pure, and in China it is called China Red. Chinese people are fascinated by the color red not only because of its intoxicating vibrancy, but also because of its rich meaning in Chinese culture and history.

"China Red" is an eternal theme for China. Red is the color of auspicious, signifying reunion, health, happiness, harmony, peace and prosperity. While Gold color signifies wealth, which is well recognized by all the world citizens.

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For more information, please visit our website www.chinaredpack.com.