Long-Tailed Birds and Lychee, Print, 8″x11″, $5.75 Ea.,2004

The birds symbolize joys and the coming of opportunity. The long-tailed bird, Flycatcher, symbolizes good health and long life. The Lychee (Litchi, or Lichee) tree with the small red and juicy fruits have several auspicious meanings. In Chinese, the pronunciation of Lychee is similar to the characters of “strength” and “wisdom.” According to the ancient Chinese history, only the wealthy people could afford to buy the precious fruit of Lychee. Today, it is one of the most popular fruits because it is delicious, juicy, and symbolizes gold coins to many people. There are four Chinese characters in traditional form and in regular script (style): “Fu Shou Shuang Chuan” means enjoying both good health, long life and success, prosperity. Altogether, it symbolizes a joyful and fruitful marriage enjoys success and prosperity until the end of the time.