The object that is important to me, is Laughing Buddha with Five Kids. Although my family does not follow the religion of Buddhism, this artifact is also a huge part of Chinese culture. The Laughing Buddha symbolizes joy, wealth, and luck, and the five kids symbolize many children through future generations in the family. My mom says in her interview, “It is something that my mother gave to me, with her wish that I would have multiple kids.” This Laughing Buddha with Five Children originally came from my grandmother Xianglan, as a gift from a relative in China. Then as her children grew up, she passed it down to my mom, with the same hopes of prosperity, good health, and happiness. In China, objects like these are very popular, and are usually given as gifts around the time of Chinese New Year. Depending on the version of the Laughing Buddha, the color of his skin will be different. White represents peace, yellow represents wealth, and red is a common color used all over China, (the color of the flag as well) which is believed to scare away evil. This object is personally important to me, because even though I might not believe in the luck of objects like these, I know that it was very meaningful to other relatives, which makes me want to keep the tradition in future generations.
 

– Claron

Relationship:  Grandchild of im/migrant Grandchild of im/migrant