Ximu Spider - Happiness Dropped from Heaven

Spiders were called "ximu" (meaning "happy insects") in ancient China. Even in today's folk culture, spiders are believed to bring happiness in the morning and wealth in the evening. In addition, it is a custom to feature spiders as symbols for luck in auspicious paintings. This custom originated from a story in ancient times:

One morning, an official woke up and walked out of his bedroom. Suddenly, he saw a chestnut-sized spider hanging from a web on the door beam. The spider was right in front of his eyes. The official danced with joy and cried: "this is a happy insect!" Then, he couldn't help shouting "happy insects dropped from Heaven; happiness dropped from Heaven …" A few days later, good news came: the emperor issued an order of general amnesty and promised advancement to all officials. That's how the auspicious painting featuring a spider hanging from a web came from. The painting was entitled with the name none other than "Happiness Dropped from Heaven".