The God of longevity
The God of Longevity, better known as Laoshouxing in the country, is a favourite subject with the Huishan clay figurine moulders of Wuxi. His image is also frequently seen in ivory and porcelain objects of art.
The god, created out of the human wish to live a long life, is distinguished by an abnormally large, protruding and deeplined forehead, white beard, long eyebrows, broad nose, square mouth with thick lips, and three holes in each ear. He is said to have lived a long time ago, being a man tranquil in nature and good at self-cultivation by meditation, knowing how to keep free from all cares and worries and to follow the course of nature in everything. For this reason, he lived a long life. According to legend, he showed no signs of ageing in his 767th year and ,when reaching the age of 800, he complained that he had not lived long enough. Later generations have made him the symbol of longevity, and well-wishers have often given a picture or a statue of him as a birthday present.
A colourful statue of Laoshouxing stands at the door of the reception room of the Huishan Clay Figurine Factory, Wuxi. As a clay figure, it is of a good size, being 1.10 metres tall and 60 centimetres across and moulded out of 300 kilograms of wet clay. When you visit the factory, he will most probably be still there, wishing you a long life with his characteristic smile .
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