Natural Hulu Gourd with Chinese Knot

A whole dried gourd on its own vine, tied at the waist in red.

The hulu (葫芦) is the oldest container in Chinese life, a bottle before there were bottles, and in feng shui it keeps that job: a narrow mouth and a wide belly, said to take in whatever is unsettled in a room and hold it there. Li Tieguai of the Eight Immortals carried one on his back, and a gourd is still hung at the bedhead or inside the front door to take in what should not stay in a house.

This one is grown, not carved. The skin is the gourd's own and the twist of vine at the top is the plant's, dried with it, so no two come out the same shape. It arrives with the red cord tied at the waist, a Chinese knot strung with coins and a long tassel below.

Placement: hung at the bedhead or inside the front door, tassel hanging free.