Wu Lou / Hulu / 葫蘆.
Also known as bottle gourd or calabash. It is a common vegetable eaten in china and also used as a traditional Chinese medicine. When dried out it could be use as a bottle or more commoly today as a feng shui cure. Also commonly use an offering in Chinese temples since it is a symbol of longevity and good health .There are certain deity you will see holding the wu lou, more commonly Ji Gong Huo Fo / 濟公活佛 and Tie Guai Li / Li Tie Guai / Iron-Crutch Li /鐵拐李.
Some Wu Lou / 葫蘆 are crafted out from wood, marble and copper. But what I really like are those dried out Wu lou’s that has small hand painted arts on them. The Wu Lou are commonly used traditionally to prevent sickness and haunting by hanging it on the head-frame/headboard of the bed. In feng shui, a wu luo is usually place where there is too much yin energy or when there is an inauspicious star since it is known to be able to absorb negative qi.
Below:- A fresh Wu Lou with a dried out one.
Below:- Wu lou decorated for the altar.
My Time – my.72dragon.com – A web blog cataloging chinese temples in malaysia / 記錄馬來西亞廟宇文化.
Hi there,
I’m living in Penang.
I was wondering where they might sell hulu gourds here in Penang (preferably dried ones, but if not that’s fine).
Thank you!