Ancient people often wore a perfume sachet with them, kind of a small token of potpourri. According to the Book of Rites, in the pre-Qin era, when young people went to see parents or other elders, they needed to wear a sachet to show their respect. Gradually, it became an indispensable accessory. Because it's something people always put close to their body, it represents intimacy. It was rare to receive a sachet from a buddy friend, especially when it was just taken off from the inside pocket of their clothes. A fancy sachet usually took complicated needlework, so if men received sachets from their lovers, the moment they saw the sewing and embroidery, they would know how much effort it took.
Red beans
It's better than it sounds. No, really. In China, the red bean has another name, love pea, or 相思豆. 豆 means bean, but 相思 is a Chinese word that contains a lot of meanings: lovesickness, yearning, infatuation and remembrance. It is said that long long ago, when a man went to war, his wife stood under a tree every day, looking forward to his return. The woman missed her husband so much that she cried every day. After her tears dried up, blood came out from her eyes. When those blood beads dropped onto the earth, a sprout appeared there. And when it grew into a big tree, it was covered with red beans, which just looked like the blood teardrops.
Wang Wei, a famous poet in the Tang Dynasty wrote a famous poem about the red beans, which made it more well-known as a symbol for deep love. A rough translation of the poem might be as follows:
The red bean grows in southern lands.
With spring its slender tendrils twine.
Gather for me some more, I pray,
Of fond remembrance is the sign.
红豆生南国,春来发几枝.
愿君多采撷,此物最相思.
So, if you receive a string of red beans, it means someone is missing you.
Handkerchief
Handkerchiefs were another popular option. After having a good time together, people were always reluctant to say goodbye. In most cases, they would shed tears silently. At that time, they took out their handkerchiefs, wiped each other's tears, and left them with each other. Because handkerchiefs were usually made up of silk threads (丝), which has the same pronunciation with 思( lovesickness). A folk song written by Feng Menglong explained why handkerchiefs could express one's feelings:
I don't write songs or poems,
Just send you a handkerchief with all my love;
Please look at the handkerchief carefully,
It is all made of threads (a pun for lovesickness).
不写情词不写诗,
一方素帕寄心知.
心知拿了颠倒看,
横也丝来竖也丝.
Hair
In bygone eras, hair had special significance and some would only cut it on special occasions, like weddings. When On the wedding night, the newlyweds' hair would be tied together, so the husband and wife during their first marriage was also called a "hair-tied couple (结发夫妻)". When people wish a couple a long life together, they will use the idiom "白头偕老", literally meaning "become grey-haired together". So, based on all of these, cutting off a wisp of hair and sending it to someone really meant something, just like a solemn oath. Even between lovers, hair was much more than just a regular gift. Sometimes it was even given as a farewell memento, or put in a sachet.
Combs
For similar reasons to hair, combs were a popular option. On the "The Night of Sevens", also known as the "Chinese Valentine's Day", (the seventh of July according to the Chinese lunar calendar), people would send a comb to their lovers. According to the traditional customs, before a woman got married, her family would comb her hair, wishing her a long happy marriage. So buy your girlfriend a lovely comb on Chinese Valentine's Day, she will love it.
Article by Sun Jiahui (孙佳慧)
