Mandarin Duck Quilt

In the countryside, quilts with the pattern of mandarin duck are found in almost every family. Upon wedding, the bride's family is responsible for preparing the quilt. A pair of mandarin ducks against red background symbolizes harmonious married life and brings an air of happiness to the wedding chamber. Su Shi, a scholar and poet in the Song Dynasty (960-1279), once wrote a poem describing the marriage of an 80-year-old man with an 18-year-old woman."On the night inside the mandarin duck quilt, a tree of white pear flowers stays above the Chinese flowering crab-apple blossoms."When Lolita was introduced to China, some translators used the metaphor of pear flower and Chinese flowering crab-apple to render the film's title. Inside the cover of mandarin duck, most quilts are made of cotton.
Over time, cotton becomes tight and it's necessary to make ft fluffy again. There is a special cotton-fluffing trade in the country. When there is a family who wants to have its quilts fluffed, the craftsman would pause in his journey and work day and night till al the quilts are fresh and fluffy. Wherever the cotton-fluffing craftsman goes, people always welcome him. A wedding quilt can thus remain fresh for generations. The mandarin ducks are known for staying loyal to one partner for life. The mandarin duck quilt is a very suitable dowry.