Peach is used as a symbol for longevity is because ancient Chinese believed in the garden of the Queen Mother of Western Paradise (西王母) is a garden where her peaches of immortality (蟠桃) are grown. It will flower after 3,000 years, set fruit after another 3,000 years. Finally for a total of 9,000 years the fruits will become ripe and ready to be eaten. One bite will assure one of instant immortality. Hence the symbolism. There is a famous chapter in the "Western Journey" where the Monkey King ate all the ripe peaches that were to be served for a party banquet to the immortals and gods. Hence Monkey, along with all the imperial immortal wine he drank, he became indestructible. Chinese art is filled with rebuses. If you study them closely, each depiction carries a message in the art.

3 wise ancestor figures ? i think they are "福，寿，禄", am i right? they are 3 god in chinese myth, "福" keeps"玉如意"(i m sorry, i don't know how to translate it, u can google it... ), "寿" with "peach", and "禄" with "paper". why "peach" = long life ? because usually, people who long life in china, his forehead is big, just like peach, so, in chinese myth, the "寿" star (god) , his forehead is very big, means he is a very very old man, and later(i don't know when...in ancient times)the story appeared, a woman in chinese myth called "王母", she has many many peach trees in her garden, every 3 thousand years flowering, 3 thousand years fruit, 3 thousand mature, the mortal who eat these peach, can live longer than before, the god who eat these peach, can became stronger and powerful than before, so according to this story, peach = long life. and another 2 wise ancestors "福" star, he appeared in Tang dynasty, he keeps "玉如意", "如意" is used for scratching an itch, anywhere u want to scratch, "玉如意" u can image, it is made of jape, made of jape and it also can exact your mind, so , it can give u anything u want, it means lucky, "福" star keeps this thing, means he can give u lucky, give u blessing "禄" star, "禄" means officials' salaries, so "禄" star is the man who can let u gain officials salaries, it also means he can let u become an officer, according to the myth, when "禄" star is a mortal, he called "比干", he is living in Shang dynasty, when he is dead, and after the world war between Shang and Zhou, the first group of God are be named from these dead people, because of his morality and wisdom, he became a god, he was named "禄" star, he had a piece of paper that says the person to be an officer, the payment, and how much salary processing

Part 6 The "Shou" Culture Shou stands for longevity. Shou and fu co-exist; to live long is to have fu. Some popular designs in folk culture are fu and shou side by side, or shou circled by the five fu. This shows that shou and fu were of equal importance. In the Shang and Zhou dynasties, an old saying suggested longevity was the foremost of the five fu. On some age-old bronze inscriptions, characters like qi (elderly people), xiao (filial), and kao (one's deceased father) were discovered, which showed they had similar meanings with shou . Taoism has a strong influence on Chinese culture. In Taoism, life is everything, without which, nothing is left. So the current life (as opposed to the afterlife) is overwhelmingly valued. Thus the desire to live longer, as a goal of life, has been mixed into the everyday life of every Chinese. In folklore, immortals never die, so immortals are the main characters in the shou culture. It was believed the Old Man in the North Pole was in charge of the longevity of a country, and Shou Xing of common people. In the Zhou Dynasty, people began to make sacrificial offerings for Shou Xing. Later on, it became so popular that people started to follow Taoist teachings, hoping to turn into long-living gods. Under the influence of Taoism, people longed to find a panacea to stop death. The wise emperor Qin Shi Huang, the establisher of the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC), even dispatched an official he knew well to the East Sea, together with five hundred virgins, to look for mountains where magic medicine could be found to help one live long. "East Sea" and "southern mountains," from then on, were closely connected to fu and shou, as illustrated in a saying: "May your happiness be as immense as the eastern sea. May your life be as lofty as the southern mountain ranges." Today, begging for longevity is a must for people in celebrating their birthdays. The wording of birthday congratulations varies, such as "10,000 shou," "Shou above the five fu ," and "Endless fu, endless shou," with the core meaning of longevity being unchanged. The character shou can be presented in a lot of shapes and designs. When written in a long shape, it is called "long shou" (stress of longevity). Shou in a round shape is "round shou," which suggests complete and perfect life and health. When 100 shou characters are written in different shapes on a piece of paper, the drawing expresses an utmost wish to live long.

Malini could u provide more information about 3 wise ancestors??

do youo know Monkey King？ 我想出处应该是中国神话。 王母娘娘的蟠桃有三种：1只桃子延长300年寿命 1只桃子延长600年寿命 还有1只桃子能延长900年寿命 后人就把桃子作为长寿的象征吧