Good boxwood carving of Liu Hai and his three legged toad. Liu Hai is one of the most popular charms in Chinese folklore. Here he stands above the toad and carries a long string of gold coins which he uses to lure the toad. The toad was believed to be able to whisk its owner to any destination. In some Chinese dialects the first character for toad (chan) is synonymous with coin (qian). Consequently Liu Hai and his toad came to symbolize great wealth a worthy destination for any ambitious person. Another story is that the toad actually lived in a deep well and exuded poisonous vapors which poisoned the waters. Liu Hai hooked the avaricious toad with the glitter of gold which he was irresistible. To this day many businesses in China will have a small discrete figure of Liu Hai and his toad somewhere close by. Early 20th c.

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