How would you like a nice Chinese gourd? One that's shaped like Chairman Mao? Or, how about Jesus?
According to a spot on Youku, a man named Xie Lyu Zhi visited the Thousand Year Temple in Sichuan, China and a Buddhist monk told him a dream he had about a gourd shaped like a famous deity. Xie decided this meant he should create artistic gourds. And thus...
Xie's gourds are grown without any pesticides, which mean that many of them perish. The gourds come in a variety of shapes, ranging from Jesus to the God of Fortune and from Chairman Mao to, even, Santa Claus.
So, yeah, not all of the gourds look like Mao! And not all gourds in China look like this, so don't think that.
These are special gourds. The vegetables are grown into a plastic case, giving them their shape.
There are other farmers making shaped-gourds as in the photos from 0379City:
In China, gourds are associated with good luck and money. They are also assorted with various deities. They're highly auspicious! So, there is a tradition of painting images on gourds. These shaped gourds are an evolution of that tradition.
淘宝, 店铺, 旺铺, 浙江天台山艺术葫芦 [Taobao]
瞧！葫芦架上长"神仙" [0379City]
视频: 浙江天台山艺术葫芦 [Youku via ロケットニュース]
Eric Jou contributed to this report.
Top photo: 守护天使雪儿/Weibo
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