The "Shou" Culture

Shou stands for longevity. Shou and fu co-exist; to live long is to have fu. Some popular designs in folk culture are fu and shou side by side, or shou circled by the five fu. This shows that shou and fu were of equal importance. In the Shang and Zhou dynasties, an old saying suggested longevity was the foremost of the five fu. On some age-old bronze inscriptions, characters like qi (elderly people), xiao (filial), and kao (one's deceased father) were discovered, which showed they had similar meanings with shou .

Taoism has a strong influence on Chinese culture. In Taoism, life is everything, without which, nothing is left. So the current life (as opposed to the afterlife) is overwhelmingly valued. Thus the desire to live longer, as a goal of life, has been mixed into the everyday life of every Chinese.

In folklore, immortals never die, so immortals are the main characters in the shou culture. It was believed the Old Man in the North Pole was in charge of the longevity of a country, and Shou Xing of common people. In the Zhou Dynasty, people began to make sacrificial offerings for Shou Xing. Later on, it became so popular that people started to follow Taoist teachings, hoping to turn into long-living gods. Under the influence of Taoism, people longed to find a panacea to stop death.

The wise emperor Qin Shi Huang, the establisher of the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC), even dispatched an official he knew well to the East Sea, together with five hundred virgins, to look for mountains where magic medicine could be found to help one live long. "East Sea" and "southern mountains," from then on, were closely connected to fu and shou, as illustrated in a saying: "May your happiness be as immense as the eastern sea. May your life be as lofty as the southern mountain ranges."

Today, begging for longevity is a must for people in celebrating their birthdays. The wording of birthday congratulations varies, such as "10,000 shou," "Shou above the five fu ," and "Endless fu, endless shou," with the core meaning of longevity being unchanged.

The character shou can be presented in a lot of shapes and designs. When written in a long shape, it is called "long shou" (stress of longevity). Shou in a round shape is "round shou," which suggests complete and perfect life and health. When 100 shou characters are written in different shapes on a piece of paper, the drawing expresses an utmost wish to live long. 

Author: Lywet