Bracelet consisting of eight very old hand-carved beads depicting the Eight Immortals. The Eight Immortals are famous in China. Recognizable are Zhongli Quan with his fan seated on a tiger, Zhang Guo Lao with his bamboo drum sitting the wrong way around on his donkey, Lan Caihe with her flower basket on an elephant, He Xiangu with his fly whisk on a tiger, Li Tieguai with his gourd on a deer, Han Xiangxi playing his flute on a deer, Cao Guojiu with his castanets on a deer and Lu Dongbin who holds a lotus instead of a sword on a dragon. The animals hold a hidden meaning. Deer are symbols for a Long Life. The word for Tiger, ‘Hu’ has the same pronunciation as the word Hu ‘Protect’ (护). The Elephant is considered an auspicious animal because the Chinese character for elephant, ‘Xiang (象),has the same pronunciation as the word for ‘Auspicious’ or ‘Lucky’, Xiang (祥). The Dragon is the most powerful symbol of Good Fortune. Ranked first among mythical beasts, it can bring rain which makes it a symbol of Fertility. The donkey symbolizes a wish for many descendants. The Immortal Zhang Guo Lao had a special white donkey. When he did not use it he would fold it up and put it in his pouch. When he needed the donkey, he would sprinkle water on it and it would magically grow to normal proportions so that he could use it to travel large distances. The beads date from the Qing period (1644 – 1912) or possibly from the early Republic (1912 – 1947). Length of the bracelet is approximately 26 cm. Bead length 3.1 cm. Diameter 1.7 cm.