FIVE FOLD HAPPINESS GEB: The Chinese Concepts of Luck, Prosperity, Longevity, Happiness and Wealth - Hardcover

Graphic designer Sung's book belongs to the relatively new class of small, sensuously crafted books meant to be pleasing to the hand and eye as well as to the mind. Her contribution to the genre takes for its subject the Chinese concepts of luck, prosperity, happiness, and wealth: she discusses each concept, as well as the varied legends that surround them, in Chinese and English; for each symbol of each concept there are pictograms, photographs, and other illustrations. Sung's distinctive way with design is evident from the delightful, brilliantly red and yellow pages. her writing is clear and engaging; her subject is too-little understood in the West. Highly recommended for all collections. -Library Journal

In Chinese culture, it is believed that by surrounding one's self with lucky objects and images, we can increase our chances of finding true happiness. This exquisite book explores the rich symbolic meaning behind the five most auspicious Chinese concepts of good fortune: luck, prosperity, longevity, happiness, and wealth. Lavishly illustrated from ancient and moderns sources, and with text in both Chinese and English, Five-fold Happiness reveals the deeper meanings in these ideals as they occur in everyday life. Notice anew the cat with one paw beckoning at the entrance of shops and restaurants. Leam the significance of peaches, goldfish, the dragon dance, and the color red. Discover the benefits of ginseng, oysters, and shrimp. But most of all, find in the pages of this delightful book a way of welcoming these and many other symbols of good fortune into your own life.