At the mention of "gourd," the first figure to pop into many Chinese minds is that of Li Tieh-kuai, or "Iron-Staff" Li, one of the Eight Immortals, who characteristically is pictured with a calabash tied to his belt, filled, no doubt, with some magic potion.

For others it is the Oxherd Boy, the Weaving Maid's wooer. Riding a buffalo, he carries his gourd slung over his shoulder and sips water from it when fatigued from herding.

Then there is the Beggar King and his troop, who gulp down wine from theirs as they crowd about the fire cooking the day's spoils.

Finally, there are the Taoist adepts, who fill theirs with concoctions and elixirs designed to prolong life.

Just what is a gourd? In his Materia Medica the great 16th-century Chinese pharmacologist Li Shih-chen classifies gourds into various categories according to shape and function. A round gourd that floats, for example, is called a p'ao, while one with an equally thick top and bottom is called a hu. A gourd with a small top, large bottom, and narrow waist is called a p'ulu. A gourd used for holding wine or tea is called a "hanging hu," and one for holding medicine, a hulu. But, Li concludes, while they may differ in name and shape, their sprouts, leaves, skin, and seeds are all similar, and they are all, in fact, gourds.

The Tung-t'ien you lu, or A Record of a Journey Through the Dwellings of Immortals, mentions two kinds of unusual gourds. One is bright and shiny, just three to five inches long, and used by fairies for carrying spring water. The other is just an inch long, and can be used as a button, as a rosary bead, or, hung from the top of a dragon-headed staff, as a medicine vial.

Gourds also figure among China's national treasures. The Ching palace contained a number of snuff holders made from gourds (along with even more gourd-shaped snuff holders carved from jade) as well as intricately carved rectangular gourds. Many are still stored in the National Palace Museum but, due to their age and brittleness, they have never been exhibited.

Written records of the gourd go back to the Shih ching, or Book of Poetry, dating from the early half of the first millennium B.C., where it says, "The gourd has withered leaves; the ford is deep to cross." The lines refer to the ancient practice of using a dried gourd tied to the waist as a float, a practice also reflected in the saying, "When you lose a boat in midstream a gourd is worth a thousand measures of gold."

Gourds were also used in ancestor worship, as attested by a reference in the classic scripture Li chi, or Book of Rites.

The gourd's association with mystics and hermits goes back a long way, too. Ch'en T'uan, China's "patron saint of sleepers," who, it is said, could sleep for 300 days at a stretch, was especially fond of gourds. The wine in his gourd was said to replenish itself automatically. Ch'en T'uan was a real person and is mentioned in the dynastic history of the Sung (960-- 1279).

Also dating back to the Sung dynasty is a story about a magic gourd. An alchemist had spent all his money on a futile search for the Philosopher's Stone. Moved by his diligence, a strange man gave him a gourd that could turn one measure of mercury into two of silver overnight.

In literature, the gourd is the subject of poems by Tu Fu (712--770), Wei Ying wu (737--786), Ma Chiu-ch'ou (c. 12-13th centuries), and Kao Ch'i (1336--1374). And the gourd can even be used in music. Gourd-pipes, which play eight notes, can still be found in parts of southwest China.

From this can be seen that, over the ages, the gourd has become something more for the Chinese than a vegetable or a vessel; it has become almost a cultural symbol. But its place on the market as a piece of artwork got started on Taiwan just seven or eight years ago.

That was when Chung Sheng, "the Old Gourd Man," began to take an interest in selling decorated gourds. Every evening at dusk, the white-bearded Chung would push his handcart to Eastgate Market, his only advertisement a large gourd inscribed with vermilion characters saying, "The calabash's belly is as big as the universe. Its marvelous uses are endless--the trick lies with you." Gleaming in the rays of the setting sun, his yellow, purple, and blue-green wares attracted crowds of admiring buyers. In this way, planting, harvesting, carving, and selling them on his own, Chung sold several thousands of gourds a year, until his children forced him to retire, fearing the work too strenuous.

Two years ago, the title of Taipei's "gourd man" passed on to Lin Ling. The middle-aged Lin, a fine calligrapher, works together with his wife, who carves and ties knots, to turn gourds into exquisite little works of art that often have a refined, whimsical touch. A three-bellied gourd, for instance, may be decorated as "The Three Heroes Swear Brotherhood in the Peach Garden," alluding to a famous episode from The Romance of the Three Kingdoms, or Li Po may be pictured inviting the moon to drink with his shadow.

Lin is a real artist, using the gourd as a canvas to produce his desired effects. But the ancients felt differently about the gourd's true value. Chang Yueh's poem "Extolling the Gourd" says it well:

Fine wine fills the hanging gourds,

Truly pure, they form a lovely sight-- Some, like a snail's house, pulling in their heads;

Some, like a crane's neck, stretching out their tops.

Their refined colors plain and yellow;

Their hollow hearts light and strong.

Don't say they lack decoration;

It's their natural lines I prize.

Over the ages, the gourd has enriched the life of the Chinese people and won their fond affection. If the easy-going gourd has a spirit, it must be smiling.

[Picture Caption]

Fresh green gourds hanging from a trellis have an appeal all their own.Gourds can be engraved or painted into exquisite little works of art.

The Little Gourd Vase of Agate dates from the Ch'ien-Lung era (1736- 1796). (photo courtesy National Palace Museum)

(Left) Used as a home decoration a gourd has a charm both classic and contemporary.

(Right) Gourd-shaped necklace charms are a favorite with teenage girls.

The oddly shaped gourd appears yet more antique and curious under bars of sunlight.

The gourd of "Iron-Staff" Li, one of the Eight Immortals, is magic. (photo courtesy of Yin Teng-kuo)

Gourds can be engraved or painted into exquisite little works of art.

The Little Gourd Vase of Agate dates from the Ch'ien-Lung era （1736- 1796）. （photo courtesy National Palace Museum）

（Left） Used as a home decoration a gourd has a charm both classic and contemporary.

（Right） Gourd-shaped necklace charms are a favorite with teenage girls.

The oddly shaped gourd appears yet more antique and curious under bars of sunlight.

The gourd of "Iron-Staff" Li, one of the Eight Immortals, is magic. （photo courtesy of Yin Teng-kuo）