Silver pendant and heavy necklace. The pendant comes in the shape of a Boy with a Lotus flower and a bamboo mouth organ riding on a Qilin. A Boy carrying a Lotus flower (lian) and a mouth organ (sheng) means ‘May you continuously give birth to Distinguished sons’ (liansheng guizi). And a boy riding on a qilin is a pun ‘May the Qilin bring you a son’ (qilin songzi). The Qilin is a mythical creature that has the same role as the stork in the West. The boy is wearing the crown and the long gown of a First Candidate during the Civil Service Exams. Dangling from the Clouds (Granting all wishes) under the qilin are five small bells in the shape of fruits. The fruits are a Finger Citron (Blessings & Longevity), a Peach (Longevity), a Pomegranate (Many children), a Melon (again many children) and a Lotus Pod (Fertility). This pendant may well have been a wedding present and dates from the late Qing (1644 – 1912) to the early Republic period ( 1912 – 1947). Total length chain 86 cm. Pendant width 7.6 cm. Height 8.0 cm. Depth 1.5 cm. Total weight 70 grams.