The drawings, paintings, engravings of animals and flowers among others, have beyond their decorative aspect, a symbolic value evocative of power, financial success, matrimonial happiness, good health. They are also given the capacity to ward off harmful influences such as demons and diseases. (excerpted from here)
Recommended Reading
A Grammar of Chinese Lattice, Volume 1 of 2Chinese Lattice Designs (Dover Pictorial Archive)The Mustard Seed Garden Manual of Painting - from 1679-1701Dictionary of Chinese Symbols: Hidden Symbols in Chinese Life and Thought (Routledge Dictionaries)Representation of the Figure in Chinese History (English and Chinese Edition)Power and Virtue: The Horses in Chinese ArtChina's Living Houses: Folk Beliefs, Symbols, and Household OrnamentationOutlines of Chinese Symbolism and Art Motives (Dover Fine Art, History of Art)Chinese Art: A Guide to Motifs and Visual ImageryChinese Folk ArtsChinese Symbolism and Art Motifs: A Comprehensive Handbook on Symbolism in Chinese Art through the AgesMonks in GlazeThe Arts of China, Sixth Edition, Revised and Expanded