Silver miniature shrine which could be worn as a charm. It comes in the shape of a temple with two figures in relief on the sides. The front part slides open like a door revealing a miniature gold-plated image on a pedestal. The ‘door’ is engraved with two Osmanthus flowers (Distinguished sons) and is decorated with a coin in openwork symbolizing Wealth. The gold-plated image which holds a small Buddha statue in its left hand, can be removed and has been engraved with the character ‘Da mo’ (Bodhidharma). Bodhidharma was a Buddhist monk who lived during the 5th or 6th century CE. He is traditionally credited as the transmitter of Chan Buddhism to China. According to Chinese legend, he also started with the physical training of the monks of the Shaolin Monastery which led to the creation of a martial art called Kung Fu. Hanging from the shrine is an elephant (xiang) which is a pun for ‘things’ (xiang) as the word is pronounced and written in exactly the same way. The shrine dates from the late Qing period (1644 – 1912). Shrine: Height 3.9 cm. Width 2.3 cm. Depth 2.7 cm. Bodhidharma: Height 2.2 cm. Width 1.3 cm. Depth 0.9 cm.