The Willow Pattern.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13644, 11 July 1908, Page 1 (Supplement)

The Willow Pattern.

LEGEND OF OIJ) DESIGN; A CHINESE LOVE STORY. J f It may be interesting to.some: to.learn' that the pattern records a very old Gjiijhase legend, and is not mere fanciful *dEi"' play. It has been proved beyond dispute that the , pattern was designed to •"Jjiiye--tuate the story,. and that the latter" 'was not. made, to fit tlie design; a& - onoe asserted. \ • ' ■. T3ie picture showti on the right <\a wealthy' mandarin's country seat, and: in. the foreground is a l pavilion, to the right of which there is a peach-tree. in'. bearing, arhile,.a large orange tree- stands ' behind. The estate'is .endosed by fence ■ supposed to be of woodand of elegant design. The bridge connects the*'grounds of the • mansion with ' the '• plot' ott>'Viich ' the gardener's cottage stands, and at- ono end of it is the famous willow- tre?; v'^Cbo A cottage is a poor one," andtheground. uncultivated, though vafir treo. growb : bt>»' hind ii. Towards the top of the 1 on the left-hand side*is an islanaiA'en-\ larged by reclaimed land, the'.'grtiunda^ , being highly cultivated. >; . The at> the top are ■ supposed :■ to 'be turtlojdotesy . The .figufes on the! bridge are .the/weallhy l mandarin with a 1 whip; , Ching r ~;;,Wit)ji jfc ne*t,, and. -Li-Chi (pronounced Lee-.' Chfee)',..-- the. ..mandarin's daughter,": iiwitli. ai .* distaff. . is called " The. Of 4thf>' Willow-' Tree" in<Chmeße;>beiea\i6e. it, it supposed to have . occurred' 'just. time when the .willow began 'to she'd. Jtr " leaves. It-, is" from, this that the name of the crockery pattern was originally deriv-; ed. In brief, the story is as follows*— .. A wealthy mandarin lived ton the .banks' :: r of a certain river—some say the Hoang-ho_ —and he made a. country, .residence v to any in the Empire. He hadt. 9hly l child, a daughter, one of ' the loveliest girlsi in the'.province, whom, ho and trained by jthe .best, -masters,; sparing ■ r no expense to make her* '.fit .for' marriSgqj with the highest in the land: ■■.: t was Li-Chi, so - called', after.-the"^'lufcioiwi ■ . ; y fruit of that name. :r Chang was a very clever, young jiijan; '.■•=■ owner of the island-home at . the -top.-iof ' the picture, and .was for soww timei'employy ed. by the mandarin as' Jus secretary. I that capacity, he made .the acquaintance of Li-Chi, and the two fell .deeply !in sw£r" I All wen t wel for a time,: but. one mandarin surprised the lovers-tinder-.the •• orangetree, and heard theirvows'of-Joviy and, after the approved fashion,. forb&do., ~t'he unequal match, and dismissed' | from hi<: service; Toi make his daughjfe?}yield to his wishes ho took her the gardener's cottage. fording Change-to carry, her box, and then ordered'him. d 9 . the premises. : . . ! A few days, after. Li-Chi . was reported y to-be missing, .having eluded: the vigtttmcb i of those set to guard her.;and. word wis , brought to.the mandarin., that the lovers ' ■ had been 6een making their way. up thjfc , river in} a boat,(as shown in. : ,the picture)* r6n their way to, Chang's" house. i . i raged father followed, with! ,ja 1 numerous. | retinue, surprised, .the .newly-wed .couple, i after-a-brief phoney-moon, .and made ; them i prisoners. :Beihg . possessed .qjE ,practically despotic power in liis: province, ; he, ? in> hiu . rage, .ordered the: lovers to be beaten, to death, which sentence would have been . carried into effect had not it. befen, thafc.-the , gods turned them into turtle doves, "...bp enabling them to fly away ' together :in safety. ■ . ■ ■ ■■ .' *• ■ ■ One version of the story is 'that :the . ( , , lovers were actually executed, •. and that their spirits were provided witlv. hotnes ' in' the ■ bodies of r the dove^,": butjjthe, .Btst one given is the older and ■ more*, authentic version. The/ fact that the ' birds in ~'fhe picture ■: look as < much like birds 'of gray quarrelling, as doves is . the fault the artist. Thev are meant to be' cooing and Hilling. Chinese pictorial art always leaves something to the imagination.,, The story rJ . is a. popular one throughout Chilia,,tttid , is the > subject of several songs, as r ywl as being the gr6und-work' of tlie. ' one of the .interminable, dramas 'played, in I Chinese theatres.—Alex Wethered, 4 ; [ ■ ■