My mom is somewhat a collector of Chinese antiques. I remember seeing vases and pictures depicting daily life of old China or portraits of gods. The images were very beautiful and very symbolic. Each flower, animal, or object meant something. Even numbers have meaning. While researching for my first story of 1999, coming this January, I discovered the number eight was very magical. It's an important number to both the Buddhist and the Taoist followers.

According to Buddhist tradition, there are eight holy items: Wheel of the Law, conch shell, umbrella, canopy (an outdoor tent-like structure), lotus blossom, vase, pair of fish, and a lucky knot. These items were supposedly pictured on bottom of Buddha's foot.

There are also eight treasures, symbolizing prosperity: two books tied together, a leaf, pair of horns, lozenge (a rhomboid shape, luckier if two were intertwined), a coin, a mirror, pearls, and a bell.

Lao-tzu was the founder of the religion, Taoism. He also wrote the book, "Tao Te Ching." In beautiful poetic form, this book described the philosophy and guidelines to the search of the Tao, or the Way. One set of gods is very famous to everyone, even to those not Taoist: The Eight Immortals. Some of these people were real, and some were mythical, but they all represent longevity and the ideal attributes of Taoist:

So when you look at Chinese art (figurines, dishes, pictures, even embroidered gowns), take a closer look and see the fine detail in the work the artist put in it. Many times, these artists will decorate their works with lucky symbols. You'll never know what you'll find till you look.