Expert: Joe McSorley - 12/9/2003

Question
My sister in law recently found a small red brocade pouch with a swastika in a circle and chinese characters on it. Good Christian and uninformed soul that she is, she quickly gave it to me since I have an interest in Chinese culture, Taoism and Chan Buddhism. I havn't been able to find the owner, which could be difficult since the Buddhist / asian community so small and scattered in this area...with a brief description could you tell me more about this? If I can't find the owner, I would like to give this little treasure the respect and understanding it deserves.

It is red and gold brocade, about 1-2 inches square with a double coin knot in the cord handle. In white is the circled swastika, and I recognize the characters as chinese, but they are not any of the few characters I know. Inside is a small paper with characters printed in red ink. Wrapped in that is a small gold tone metal medallion with kwan yin standing on a lotus blossom (just like a kwan yin pendant I bought in Chinatown one time).

Could you tell me what this is and how it is used? Is it as Chinese as it seems, or is it really from another part of Asia? If you don't know, could you direct me to another expert or online resource that could help?

Xie xie

Baihu

Answer
Dear Baihu,
 I am no expert on Chinese artifacts but the swastika you refer to is actually a Tibetan symbol the Nazis took for their own warped ideas.  If you want to send me pictures of it I will ask some Chinese friends of mine to translate it for you.  My email address is: joemcsorley@aol.com
 take care,
  Joe