The gourd, hulu (葫芦), is the bottle gourd, a vine fruit with a pinched waist. It was one of the first plants people domesticated, grown less for food than for its hard shell, which dries into a light, sturdy container. In Chinese art and folk belief it stands for blessing, a large family and the medicine of the immortals.
Hulu and fulu: a pun on blessing
Much of the gourd's luck comes from its name. Hulu sounds close to fulu (福禄), blessing and prosperity. The Asian Art Museum in San Francisco calls it a pun for "blessings and riches." Lu is the same word as in Fu Lu Shou, the three star gods of blessing, rank and long life, who appear in our guide to the fu character.
The immortals' medicine bottle
The Met notes that immortals and legendary figures are believed to carry medicines with magic power in double gourds. One of them is Li Tieguai, Iron-Crutch Li of the Eight Immortals. Art shows him as an old man with an iron crutch, often with a gourd slung over his shoulder. Britannica says the gourd was his bedroom at night and held medicine, which he gave to the poor and needy. A Ming bronze on loan to the Met shows him with an enormous gourd full of magical elixirs.
Gourd-shaped vessels were popular at the Ming court under the Jiajing emperor (1522 to 1566), who was known for his fervent interest in Daoism. Gourds were thought to hold the elixir of immortality for Daoist deities.
Many seeds, many descendants
A gourd is full of seeds, and the Asian Art Museum explains that this made it a symbol of fertility. One of the hidden wishes it carries is hulu baizi (葫芦百子): may the bottle gourd bring you a hundred sons. The Met reads a carnelian bottle carved with baby gourds hanging from one vine as a wish for many children and a family line that goes on.
A gourd to catch bad luck
The Asian Art Museum notes that the gourd was also thought to absorb the evil vapors of the universe. In Jiaocheng, Shanxi, folk artists cut an "eight diagram gourd" from paper on Dragon Boat Day to keep evil spirits away. Feng shui, which calls the gourd wu lou from its Cantonese pronunciation, keeps the same belief that it soaks up bad luck. That is folk belief, not a proven effect.
Gourds in porcelain and charms
The double-bulb outline became a favorite shape for vases, bottles and ornaments. The Asian Art Museum holds a porcelain vase painted in underglaze blue from the Kangxi reign (1662 to 1722) shaped as a three-part gourd, with the wish hulu daji: may the bottle gourd bring you good fortune. A small gourd charm on a red cord pairs the gourd's good wishes with the red that custom says to wear in your own animal year, which our Chinese zodiac guide explains.
The Gourd at Buddha.store
Gourd charms on bracelets, earrings and a hanging ornament:
