Hiya peeps.

I bought this recently . . . she's hard plastic made by a company called 'Vita' in Hong Kong.
If i had to guess I'd say from the 1960's.

I would like to know whether it is a representation of a Chinese or Japanese lady?
If you know for sure could you fill me in and give a few reasons how you know?

I'm always willing to learn . . . to me, I'd say the robes and hair look more Chinese but i dont really know.


Flower & Fan Lady by The Moog Image Dump, on Flickr


Flower & Fan Lady by The Moog Image Dump, on Flickr

Shot in the dark here, bu that face is just so 'Hokusai'-looking that it is hard to think that it would be Chinese.

I hope someone can shed some light on it. Regardless, its a beautiful figurine.

that's a really pretty piece...the face could go either way, but the hair is definitely un-japanese.

it looks chinese to me, based on the flow of the robes and the knotted sashes. also the base is more typically chinese. similar to a lot of kwan yin figures i've seen, but i don't think it's a representation of her.

The robes and sashes say Chinese to me as well.

Definitely Chinese. The hair and belt are clear give aways. Also the Hanfu Chinese robes are depicted in sculpture and pictures/paintings, as more "flowing", and there is an inner and shorter outer garment (although during certain periods, you see this in kimono too). The "belt" is not an Obi type sash (traditional to kimono), which is thicker, and can have an ornate "bow" in the back. There isn't a Japanese obijime either.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ua-hWA-dPwo

A kimono and hanfu, I found to be very flattering to wear. No offense to the Koreans, but when I wore a Hanbok (brother's wedding), I found that it generally makes all of the ladies look pregnant!

P.S. If you see a Chinese Hanfu that depicts bare shoulders and a bustline, that is a more MODERN style! In traditional times, that wouldn't be considered proper (viz... extreme female modesty in the old days!), so don't be fooled

P.P.S Lovely figure. I'm surprised to hear it's plastic. It looks like bone!

^^^ Thanks all for the info . . . . i knew SB wouldn't let me down.

Its a nice quality plastic. Her fan hand must of snapped off years ago because someone has glued it back on a bit wonky.
I can tell by the colour of the glue it was done a long time ago. I might try to get it apart again and glue it more accurately.

I found these two a while ago by the same company. They are much smaller in size (also plastic).


Chinese Philosophers by The Moog Image Dump, on Flickr

Wow, the more you know, right?

Thanks for the info, I feel like I also learned something here.

I do like the Hanbok quite a bit.

Very nice! The old man with the peach is Fu Lu Shou, a Chinese immortal. The mystical peach is symbolic of long life, thus he is considered to be a deity of good fortune and long life:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fu_Lu_Shou

FYI, there are 8 famous "Chinese Immortals"
http://www.sacred-texts.com/journals/jras/1916-21.htm
http://www.sacred-texts.com/cfu/mlc/mlc13.htm
http://weber.ucsd.edu/~dkjordan/chin/ba ... Intro.html

P.S. Gatio, I didn't mean to cast any aspersions on the Hanbok, it's a beautiful dress, but difficult to wear, unless you are rail thin

P.P.S Ammendment: Babo, shopping in Seoul, wears the Hanbok very well too! And I must say, you can have a custom fitted and custom made Hanbok ready OVERNIGHT in Seoul!

Would have guessed Chinese for export market...