Hand-carved kernel of a ‘Ganlan’ fruit depicting eight people and a monkey on a sampan. The word sam pan (三板) literally means ‘three planks’ indicating the simple design of this type of boat. A sampan also resembles a silver ingot called ‘Sycee’ (细 丝) symbolizing Official Office or High Rank. The fact that there are eight people on board may mean that they represent the Eight Immortals (Luohan), mythological Daoist deities. The Monkey is a symbol of Cleverness but also of Longevity because it refers to the monkey king Sun Wukong who stole the Peach of Immortality from the garden of Xi Wang Mu, the Queen Mother of the West. The carving is not signed which is nothing unusual for the period in which it was made, namely the late 20th century. Length 3.4 cm. Width 1.7 cm. Height 1.6 cm.