 Visitors
to Beijing's Forbidden City will notice a valuable exhibit
called ruyi (formerly spelt as juyi) with a head like
a shred of cloud and a long body or handle in the shape
of a flat S. It may be made of any of a wide range of
valuable materials: gold, jade, jadeite, crystal, agate,
coral, agolloch eaglewood, bamboo, bone and what not.
And the workmanship is often quite meticulous: it is carved
with patterns in incision, low-relief or openwork and
sometimes inlaid with silver, gold and gems. The designs
may be simple  or
very elaborate but invariably convey messages of good
wishes, such as "pine and crane" (standing for
vigorous old age), "immortals wishing you longevity",
"phoenix and peony" (standing for wealth, happiness
and prosperity), and the like.
The ruyi, it is said, was born out of a common Chinese
article of household use-  the
itch-cratcher. This is a stick about 1.5 feet long,
with one end in the form of a miniature hand with bent
fingers. Holding it, a man can scratch the itches on
his own back and thus get a feeling of well-being. It
is still used by some people in China today. Usually
made of commonplace wood or bamboo, it is popularly
called by the descriptive name laotoule ("old man's
joy").
 The
itch-scratcher, being a joy, began to be made of more
valuable materials for those who could afford it. But
apart from being an art object, it continued to be used
for its original purpose until sometime during the Qing
Dynasty (1644-1911). It gradually became a pure ornamental
object called ruyi ("as you wish"). The right
place for the elevated and transformed itch-scratcher
was now on the bedside table of the imperial sleeping
chamber, by the side of the throne. . . to be appreciated
daily by the emperor and his numerous wives. On every
occasion of court celebrations, such as enthronement,
royal wedding or birthday, the nobles and courtiers
would be busy raising money and ordering whole sets
of ruyi for presentation. On the 60th birthday of Emperor
Qianlong (1700), for instance, the ministers presented
to him 60 ruyi of gold filigree. Likewise, on the 60th
birthday of the Empress Dowager Cixi (1894), she got
9 times 9 or 81 ruyi. (The number 9 X 9 symbolizes infinity
or an endless long life.) The ruyi was also used by
the emperor, when he chose a concubine out of a number
of candidates, to point at the one catching his fancy.
 The
presentation of ruyi was not a one-way affair: it was
often bestowed by the emperor upon his ministers or
subjects. There is still a valuable collection of them
in the Mansion of Confucius in Qufu, Shandong. They
were given by various emperors to the descendants of
the great sage.
It is still difficult to pinpoint the time of the first
emergence of the ruyi, although no archaeological finds
of them date from before the Qing Dynasty. They are
much valued but commonly seen objects of decoration
in the old Qing palaces, but outside of Beijing one
rarely comes across them in provincial museums.
|
