2019: It's China's Year
January 26, 2019
Earlier this week, while shopping for some foodstuff for the coming Lunar New Year at the Bugis area, I decided to stroll along the street stalls that sold many festive decorations.
I was looking for four Chinese words in particular:
“富贵花开”
as it is one of the prophetic words given for 2019.
I saw a couple of nice ones but hesitated as I felt there was something else beckoning me. I had a lot of other errands to run but nevertheless had to let the Holy Spirit lead. Going further down the road to another stall, I chanced upon a strange one - a Chinese fan decoration, atypical of the usual festive greetings and style.
China’s Year?
While attracted by the words 花开富贵 on the fan (top left), which was a wee bit tiny, I was puzzled by the huge words “中国年” (”China’s year”) at the bottom (thinking how inappropriate it was to sell this in Singapore).
The poem enlarged here.
A Strange Poem for the Chinese New Year
I was also stumped by a Chinese poem on the top right. I tried reading it a couple of times but it was way out of my command of the Chinese language.
It certainly is not the usual happy and prosperous greeting for the New Year.
A Demon Too!
I spotted a Chinese word for “demon” in it! “This is rather strange,” I thought to myself.
This One
That was when I heard V said:
“This one.”
I bought it, took a picture to send to the team, wondering if I should put this on my basement entrance door at all, with the demon word inside, and knowing it would challenge my husband’s aesthetic eye. True enough, he asked why I put a strange fan on the door when he came home from work.
A Puzzling Tang Poem
I whatsapped the picture to the Chinese speaking team in Singapore to find out the meaning of the poem. No one could tell me.
Today, after our worship meeting, XJ (from China) shares her research on the poem, a 9th century Tang poem she has never even heard before, which compares 3 flowers – the shaoyao, the lotus and the mudan flowers as follows:
China’s National Flower
The poet is basically singing the praise of the 牡丹 “mudan” (the peony), the national flower of China, which incidentally, XJ explains, is also known as 富贵花 (“fugui hua”). Yanli points us to the huge painting of peonies hung on the wall by her late mother. We laughed at the coincidence.
JT: (XJ’s husband) adds, ‘The Mudan flower is associated with outstanding women in Chinese history, most notable Empress Wu, the only female emperor in China’s history.”
What the Three Flowers Represent
I thought for a moment:
- The Lotus
To me, the lotus is often associated with Guanyim/the goddess of mercy worshipped by many Chinese people all over the world. She is also considered a female personification of Buddha.
- A verse came to my mind:
“Having a form of godliness but devoid of power.” - a religious, legalistic type of spirit, wielding religious control over many… could also be from within the Church or in other religions. - The Shaoyao flower
This reminds me of Lucifer (Satan) who was beautifully made and considered himself equal to God. A seductive beauty. A spirit of great vanity and evil… like Jezebel and also the Babylonian women sent to seduce the Israelites to sin against God, so that they may lose God’s protection over them. Oh my… - The Mudan Flower
To me, the mudan flower (the peony) is like Jesus. Pure and holy like the lotus but Jesus is not haughty or 清高. He is accessible to all who draw near to Him – often mingling with people young and old, male or female, touching and healing all who go near to Him during His ministry. He does not think highly of himself, is not arrogant nor self-righteous.
He is exceedingly beautiful in God’s eyes but unlike the Shaoyao flower, he doesn’t entrap, manipulate or seduce anyone with His beauty. His beauty is not for his vanity or pride. It touches all who behold him, with divine power to move and shake the entire city.
XJ: “The mudan is in full bloom around Mar/April.” That is around Good Friday and Easter!
As the fan decoration proudly declared, “This is China’s Year” - I wonder if China is going to play a bigger role in the geopolitical landscape. I considered if I should increase the amount of China holdings in my investment portfolio even though the trade war with the US has started and things don’t look very good for the Chinese economy at the moment.
"CHINA... A BIGGER ROLE IN THE GEOPOLITICAL LANDSCAPE?"
Adding a last character “开” (“kai” meaning “bloom”) to the Chinese word for the peony forms the four Chinese characters “富贵花开” which was what the team received for 2019 during our year-end retreat in November 2018. Together it means: “Abundant Bloom of Riches and Honour/Nobility”.
"2019: ABUNDANT BLOOM OF RICHES AND HONOUR..."
Rise of Women or Chinese Women
The three flowers - could be three women or three types of women, particularly Chinese women, who will rise in leadership or prominence in China or in the world - the Haughty/Self Righteous, the Seductive and the Godly.
"WOMEN, GOOD AND EVIL WILL RISE IN LEADERSHIP AND PROMINENCE."
I brace myself for an epic clash between the spirit of religion and seduction against godly women in the body of God.
The men better be ready for what is coming at them, since the seductive and evil women are very much in action, and also the seemingly holy ones where they worship.
In any case,
China will be a country to watch this year.
It is their year.
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