A Note on Longevity for the SARS-Cov-2 Era

The old man—holding a staff in one hand and the fruit of immortality, pántáo (蟠桃), a flat peach, in the other—represents the ancient Chinese god of longevity. It is characteristic of him to have the long beard and high forehead. The mythical 蟠桃 tree, blossoms and delivers its fruit every 3,000 years. It often appears in association with língzhī (靈芝), a kind of edible fungus (think mushroom) with reputed magical powers.

Next to the old man is a deer. Deer were thought to have very long lives and had, themselves, also become symbols of longevity. Plus, deer were the only creatures who could sniff out 靈芝, the fungus of immortality. Deer antlers were (and still are) used in various forms as a stimulant, a tonic, an stringent or an aphrodisiac. They were also used to treat rickets and other childhood diseases.

That’s most of the obverse. On the reverse, three cranes fly around the character shòu, 壽, the word for longevity or long life. (The crane is the most common Chinese symbol for longevity.)

The coin is 5 cm in diameter and has the appearance and feel of a U.S. silver dollar. The characters on the obverse proclaim a value of one yuan. While the coin was likely a fake silver trade dollar or fantasy coin manufactured in the 1920s, it may have some silver content, though I’m guessing it's cupronickel, (It is non-magnetic and reacts to bleach.)

I carry it as a talisman. We'll see whether it helps me ward off Sars-Cov-2, a.k.a., Wuhanvirus, 武汉病毒.