Jade Koi Fish (錦鯉) Carving (Myanmar / Burma)
Jade Koi Fish (錦鯉) Carving (Myanmar / Burma)
Mineral: Jade var. Jadeite
Origin: Myanmar (Burma)
Color: Dark Green
Treatment: None
Approximate dimensions: 2.1cm x 2.2cm x 0.8cm
Weight: 4g
Note: Does NOT stand on it's own.
10% of this purchase will be donated to The Biodiversity and Nature Conservation Association (BANCA)
The koi carp represents fame, family harmony and wealth in Chinese culture. It is a feng shui favourite, symbolising abundance as well as perseverance and strength
According to tradition, a carp that could swim upstream and then leap the falls of the Yellow River at Dragon Gate (Longmen) would be transformed into a dragon. This motif symbolizes success in the civil service examinations. The Dragon Gate is located at the border of Shanxi and Shaanxi where the Yellow River flows through a cleft in the Longmen mountains, supposedly made by Yu the Great, who cut through the mountain.
According to one account, forceful water brought many carp down the river, and the carp could not swim back. The carp complained to Yu the Great. His wife, the Jade Emperor's daughter, explained to her father on behalf of the carp. The Jade Emperor promised that if those carp could leap over the Dragon Gate, then they would become mighty dragons. Thus, all the carp competed at a yearly competition to leap the Longmen falls; those who succeeded were immediately transformed into dragons and flew off into the sky.
Pictures of carp attempting to leap the Longmen falls have been enduringly popular in China and other parts of Asia. There are other Dragon Gates (Longmen) in China's rivers, typically with steep narrows, and the mythological geography does not depend upon an actual location. Many other waterfalls in China also have the name Dragon Gate and much the same is said about them. Other famous Dragon Gates are on the Wei River where it passes through the Lung Sheu Mountains and at Tsin in Shanxi Province.
Color may vary in images and videos due to different lightings and angles.
