All That Glitters

A Study of Gold in Chinese Culture

J. COLEY ENG 609

Gold PropertiesRARE: all the gold ever mined would fit into a 60-foot cube*

CORROSIVE-RESISTANT: gold does not rust, does not tarnishMalleable: 1 oz. gold = 269 square feet

Universal AppealGold has been valued in nearly all cultures since antiquityThe standard world currency

Gold Symbolism

The single color with the most universal meaning: WEALTH

Gold in ChinaGOLD• Color of royal

family• Symbolizes

wealth & happiness

• Confers immortality

HUANG (YELLOW) + JĪN (METAL)

Buddhism• The Buddha

means “enlightened one.”

• The Buddha is typically depicted in gold.

• Symbolic for light and immortalityThe Laughing Buddha

Gold in Chinese FlagThe LARGE STAR represents the Communist Party.The FOUR SMALLER STARS represents classes of people:• Workers• Peasants• Bourgeoisie• Capitalists

Chinese Proverbs• “A book holds a house of gold.”• “An inch of time is an inch of gold

but you can't buy that inch of time with an inch of gold.”

• “Gold is plentiful compared to white-haired friends.”

• “Read critically and you may find each saying worth a thousand ounces of gold.”

Work Cited*Gray, Theodore. The Elements: A Visual Exploration of Every Known Atom in the Universe. New York: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers, 2009. Electronic.Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility: Office of Science Education. “The Element Gold.” Jefferson Lab. n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2011.