Travel China and Beyond

Want to know some more about Chinese New Year customs…?

Some of you may have wondered why some Chinese New Year posters appear to be hung upside down…Don’t worry — you are right — they are upside down.  The question is do you know why that is…?  By the way, this is not a mistake — no, the posters are hung upside down for a purpose — here is what the poster looks like and why it is placed in that particular orientation:

This is an upside down version of the Chinese character “FU” which means good fortune,  but during the Chinese New Year holiday, you will see it in this weird upside down position.  The reason is the Chinese famous double meaning {by the way, the Chinese literature is full of double meaning examples — poetry often has very strange interpretations}.  So when the character is placed in that position it could be read as “DAO LE”, which could mean “arrive”, but it also sounds like DOLLAR (in English) — so the loop is closed — “Fortune” –> “arrive” –> “Dollar”….. You make your own conclusions.  This is a perfect symbolism, isn’t it….

The Chinese character “fu” means good fortune. As a new year greeting, it is turned upside down. The flipping action is called “dao le” in Mandarin, which also sounds like the Chinese word “arrives,” which in turn sounds like the English word “dollar” - an auspicious character however you look at it.