Rock, Narcissus, and Heavenly Bamboo

What did the last birthday gift you gave or received mean to you or the recipient? This tapestry was created as a birthday gift. The blooming flowers not only represent a visual feast of wealth and prosperity, but also hide a secret message. The scrub with berries, known as nandina (tianzhu 天竹, or heavenly bamboo) and the narcissus (shuixian 水仙) create the pun, tianxian 天仙, which denotes ”heavenly immortal.” The blue-green rocks evoke scenes of paradise, which refers to longevity (shoushi 壽石). On the lower left, the mushroom, known to Chinese as lingzhi, symbolizes longevity and good wishes. All these motifs create a rebus or puzzle coded with a four-character phrase, tian xian zhu shou天仙祝壽, which means May the heavenly immortals honor you with longevity.