CHINA: AE charm (29.66g), Semans-343, Ramsden-91, Mandel-7.11, Coushnir-19, 49mm openwork figural type, man fishing, large carp, VF, ex Jürgen M. Wilmes Collection. "Open-work" charms are one of the major types of ancient Chinese charms. They are referred to in Chinese as lou kong qian "hollowed out" money and ling long qian "elegant" money. Chinese open work charms have irregular shaped "openings" between their exquisite design elements. They are round and almost always have a round hole in the center. Openwork charms became very popular and were often worn for personal adornment during the Song, Yuan, and Ming dynasties.The fish symbolizes prosperity because the Chinese word for fish (yu) is a pun for "abundance" or "well-to-do". Thee fish also alludes to an allegory of a carp fish leaping over the Dragon Gate to become a dragon (liyutiaolongmen) which illustrates that persistent efforts are needed to overcome obstacles as in the case of those who wish to move up the ranks as officials in the imperial examination system.