Nandina

Qi Baishi Chinese

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The Nandina, called Southern Heavenly Bamboo (Nantianzhu) in Chinese, has a range of auspicious meanings. Its profusion of red berries symbolizes abundance, while the similarity of the words for “bamboo” (zhu 竹) and “wish” (zhu 祝) makes the image of the plant suitable for use in a range of rebuses, or multipart visual puns.

Nandina, Qi Baishi (Chinese, 1864–1957), Hanging scroll; ink and color on paper, China

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