The Palace Museum in Beijing recently shared a range of photos featuring its collection of peach-themed relics on the micro blog Sina Weibo, as a way to celebrate summer. The images showcase utensils and paintings shaped or themed around the peach.

Peach-shaped decorations symbolize longevity, and peach patterns became quite popular during the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties, as seen on various utensils. Let's take a look.

An emerald brush washer in the shape of a peach from the Shunzhi Period of the Qing Dynasty [Photo/Official Weibo account of the Palace Museum]