longevity

Longevity is the most highly esteemed value of the five-fold happinesses. The desire for long life is embodied in traditions such as eating longevity noodles and peaches on an elder’s birthday. Wishes for longevity are often inscribed on scrolls displayed in homes: ‘life as long as the Southern Mountain,’ shou bi nan shan, ‘ten thousand long lives without end,’ wan shou wu jiang, and ‘life as long as the tortoise and crane,’ gui ling he shou. Symbols representing the wish for longevity include the peach, the pine tree, bamboo, chrysanthemum and the crane.