The “Chupu” is a covered jar with no handles or side knobs. It is also referred to as “Katmau” or “Himcheng”. This piece carries the shop mark “Zhou Shun Xing zao”. It has steep walls, a tapering base and a wide mouth with a bevelled rim. A high domed cover is fitted over it with an inverted bright yellow conical finial. The cover and body are decorated with an emerald green quatrefoil medallion enclosing a bright rose pink peony spray in full bloom. This is set against a deep, rose pink background, which symbolises happiness and longevity, youthfulness and innocence. Rose coloured flower motifs fill the rest of the piece. Peonies symbolise spring, love, beauty and good fortune Symbols from the Eight auspicious Buddhist Emblems with trailing ribbons on a bright yellow background decorate the mouth of the jar and the rim of the cover. Yellow is considered an auspicious colour for the Peranakan Chinese. The Chupu could have been used as a food container and also used for double boiling foods such as herbal soups. As the third type of important ware used in Peranakan Chinese wedding ceremonies, it could have been used to contain delicacies symbolic of marital harmony, such as bird’s nest soup.
