A lotus pod with seeds and a small lotus bud are resting on a leaf of the same plant. The lotus comes out of the mud but is not soiled at all. It is therefore seen as a symbol of purity. But not only that. The Chinese word for lotus is 'lianhua' (莲花) or 'hehua' (荷花). Another pronunciation of 'Lian' is the same as the word for 'Continuous' (连) and 'He' can be pronounced as 'Harmony' (和) so the lotus has the hidden meaning of 'Continuous Harmony'. A lotus stem and lotus pod shown together symbolize 'Marital Harmony'. Lotus seeds (Lianzi 莲 籽) have the hidden meaning of 'Continuous birth of children' because the 'Lian' sounds like 'Continuous' (连) and 'Zi' has the same pronunciation as the word for son or child (zi 子). It is very probable that this small carving was a gift on a wedding. It is made of a pale celadon green material with a few brown 'skin' spots and it is well carved. It dates from the Qing period (1644 - 1912) and came from Hong Kong in 1986. Length 4.7cm. Width 3.1 cm. Height 2.9 cm. Weight 51.1 grams.