Health Is Everything
/We hope you’re all healthy. That’s the message we’d like to convey with this design and with all our hearts.
健康是唯一的財富
(Pīnyīn: Jiànkāng shì wéiyī de cáifù)
Translation: “Health is the only wealth”.
Health is without a doubt our most precious wealth. Or as the proverb says: health is our ONLY wealth. The kind that no money in the world can buy.
That’s why we decided pair this proverb with an illustration inspired by the universal symbol of medicine: the Rod of Asclepius (the God of cure, in Greek mythology), with the snake entwined around a staff. However, we created an Estern version of this symbol, by replacing the snake with a Chinese dragon and the staff with the most famous of all Chinese swords: the “Lóngquán” sword (龍泉劍 / Pīnyīn: Lóngquán jiàn).
There are many stories that explain the origins of the 12 animals of the Chinese Zodiac, but the most famous one is known as “The Great Race”, promoted by the Jade Emperor (dang, that name sounds like it belongs to a character from a Chinese soap opera, doesn’t it? ;o)). Essentially, the animals had to cross a river before getting to the finish line. The dragon arrived at 5th place, which is why it is the 5th sign of the Zodiac. However, if the dragon was the only one who could fly, how come it didn’t finish first? Because mid-race, it saw a village burning in flames and it stopped to help, by bringing rain to the villagers. That’s why dragons represent dignity.
Lóngquán is a city located in the province of Zhejiang (浙江省 / Pīnyīn: Zhèjiāng Shěng). Legend has it that it was there that the first iron sword was created, 2600 years ago, by the famous master of sword-making Ou Yezi (歐冶子 / Pīnyīn: Ōu Yězǐ). Since then, Lóngquán became famously known for its swords (it even inspired the “Green Destiny”, which appears in the film “Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon”).
It also became home to the Schen family, who has been responsible for safeguarding the tradition and mastering the techniques necessary to forge a Lóngquán sword for over five generations. According to the clan’s patriarch, Shen Xin Pei (沈 新培 / Pīnyīn: Chén Xīn Péi), forging a brand new sword means “going back to what’s essential”.
And let’s face it. Nothing is more essential than our health, right? Not only because it gives us the opportunity to live our lives to the fullest, but above all, because it allows us to live a life with DIGNITY. So raise your glasses and let’s make a toast: to our good health!
