Hand-carved kernel of a ‘Ganlan’ fruit depicting eight people and a monkey on a sampan. The word sam pan (三板) literally means ‘three planks’ indicating the simple design of this type of boat. A sampan resembles a silver ingot called ‘Sycee’ (细 丝) symbolizing Official Office or High Rank. The eight people on board may well be the Eight Immortals, mythological Daoist deities. The Monkey is a symbol of Cleverness but also of Longevity. The last hidden meaning stems from the monkey king Sun Wukong who stole the Peach of Immortality from the garden of Xi Wang Mu, the Queen Mother of the West. The carving is not signed which is nothing unusual for the period in which it was made, namely the late 20th century. Length 3.7 cm. Width 1.8 cm. Height 1.5 cm.