The Fu	Axe-head

·Axe-head

The Axe-head is a symbol of emperors' capability to make quick decisions, and their power over difficult situations, life and death, times of war and famine.

·The Fu

The Fu symbolizes the capability of distinguishing evil from good. The Fu is connected to the winter solstice and represents emperors and their subordinates working together.

 Other auspicious motifs

·Crane

The image of a crane with its wings out stretched and one leg raised up is a symbol of longevity. This longevity symbol when combined with a spotted deer and the pine is known as the 'prolonged life' design. The crane could also be found on civil officials' robes to depict social ranks. The bird was a symbol of literary elegance and, therefore, an appropriate creature to designate civil officials who had gained their position through examination based on the classics of the Confucian canon.

·Geometric Patterns

Geometric patterns are used as borders or as bands along garments for added decoration. Two common patterns are the meander pattern and the key pattern. One of the oldest pattern types is the swastika. In China the swastika became a Buddhist symbol for luck sometime after 200 AD. It is also the shortened form for the number ten thousand, and this indicates longevity

·Bats

Bats and happiness are both pronounced fu, therefore bats stand for happiness. It is occasionally represented in a very ornate manner and can be mistaken for a butterfly.

·Butterfly

The Butterfly is a popular symbol in Chinese embroidery. It is the symbol of summer and joy.

·Water motif

The water motif was very popular on Chinese garments and is always found on the bottom portion of a robe. Diagonal stripes represent the depths of the waters. At the front and back and on either side of a garment, a mountain can be found which seams to emerge from the foamy waves. The mountain is said to represent an ancient belief; China believed that the earth was a land surrounded by four oceans.

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