Daily-use appliance, besides its practical function, is nterpreted as a symbol in folk custom and folk art.
Umbrella - its shape reminds people of the sun. When I was in Miao village in Guizhou, one day I came back home in the rain holding an umbrella, my host said to me in a serious tone to fold the umbrella away and place it behind tile door so nobody could touch it. People's belief in umbrella later turned into making it a classy symbol as "canopy" and "yellow gauze umbrella." It was used exclusively in the temple over the statues of saint, or by the imperial family for shade outdoors.