A horse and monkey convey a wish for swift promotion

This exquisite gilded bronze horse with a monkey on its back might remind you of Journey to the West, when Sun Wukong once served as Bimawen (keeper of the heavenly horses) in the celestial court. Beyond that, this pair carries rich cultural meaning in ancient China.

Practically speaking, when monkeys and horses are raised together, the monkey will encourage the horse to move more, improving the latter's strength and helping it avoid illness.

For a linguistic blessing, during the Tang (618-907) and Song (960-1279) dynasties, the phrase "on horseback" (ma shang) came to mean "immediately". Placing a monkey (hou) on a horse (ma) creates a pun: "May you be granted a marquis title immediately" (mashang fenghou), a wish for swift promotion and success.

Come and see this lovely piece in person at Dingzhou Museum in Hebei province!