Exquisite design marks Year of the Rat mug by award-winning designer

Long before the beginning of the Chinese Lunar Year of the Rat, which fell on Jan 25, some Chinese art lovers from all over the world bought themselves a unique mug featuring the rat, created by the internationally acclaimed designer Jeff Dayu Shi.

According to the Chinese lunar calendar the Year of the Rat, which is the first of the 12 animals that constitute the Chinese zodiac cycle, is a symbol of good fortune in traditional Chinese culture.

In line with Chinese folklore, the story goes that once upon a time, five beautiful fairies descended to the mortal world disguised as rats. They gathered sycees and coins, and gave all the riches to the people.

To celebrate the Year of the Rat, Shi is giving the legend of the "money-gathering rats" a sleek new spin.

Drawing inspiration from puman, a type of piggy bank often made of bamboo and commonly used in ancient China, the designer created a rat-themed zodiac mug that boasts a combination of elegance and playfulness.

The body of the mug is shaped like a bamboo puman, while the handle resembles a longitudinal section view of the bamboo culm and nodes. The handle of the tea strainer features lianqian, two coins joined together because they were never chiseled apart after being removed from the mold, which serves as a symbol of continuous wealth and good things coming in pairs.