In the life of the Chinese people, nothing is more important than bearing and raising children. The birth of a baby is not only a joy to the whole family, but also an occasion to be celebrated by all relatives and friends, usually on the day the baby is one month old. Long before that date, the eager grandmother has carefully prepared the ‘Gift Case for the One-month-old,’ in which are neatly placed a tiger-shaped headdress, tiger-head shoes and little cotton coats. When the big day comes, the grandmother strides into her daughter’s house with a proud and joyful air, the case in her arms, shining red and painted with pictures of ‘Five Tigers’ and ‘ A Hundred Babies.’ Women of all ages in the village gather around and watch the ceremony, paying generous compliments to the baby, the grandmother’s craft and the family’s riches.

Good wishes for a prosperous family and a happy life are expressed in paintings such as ‘Golden Boy and Jade Maiden,’ ‘Five Sons Sit for the Imperial Exam,’ ‘A Hundred Children Bring about a Blissful Life,’ etc. Yet it is not an easy task to bring up a child. Look at the items to be found in the nursery of a well to do family: chamber pot, horse-shaped chair, pillory cage, cradle, sleeping basket, hammock, bedside stone, diaper rack, wash basin and a walker. These are only a few of the articles needed.  Each of them witnesses a child’s growth and reflects a mother’s love and relatives’ care.

Toys are a child’s treasures. Though simple and even a little coarse, these traditional hand-made toys like cloth tigers, mud monkeys, golden-hair lions, rattle-drums, pinwheels, wind-bells, kites, clay whistles, etc. are colorful and dear ‘heroes’ to a child’s heart. At the meantime, they are mascots for the parents who expect them to drive away evil spirits and protect their child to grow up safe and sound. A ‘bedside stone’ prevents a child from falling off the bed and guards against evil spirits that harm babies. Parents occupied with the farm chores, leave their child to the care of the magic ‘stone Buddha’. He can sleep sound upon the stone monkey pillow after tiring of crawling and playing about. These bedside stone figures are a child’s companions to rely on and turn to. Generation after generation, they have been a child’s companion while growing up and their first contact beginning the child’s life experience.

This is a world of children a part of Chinese history and culture.

It brings back sweet memories of childhood.

Items in this exhibit are from Shaanxi, Zhejiang, Anhui, Jiangxi, Shandong, Henan and Hebei and reflect a time span of 300 years from the Qing Dynasty (1644) to modern times.