Money tree (myth)

[1] According to the existing historical narratives, the concept of the "money tree" is derived at the latest from the Han dynasty.

[3] One folk tale tells of a sculptor who placed fake money on a tree in order to trick villagers into cutting it down for him.

In modern use, "money tree" is used as a metaphor for something from which one is able to make great profit from, and can be translated into "cash cow" in English.

According to custom, money trees are made of a bushy pine or cypress branch nestled inside a porcelain pot filled with rice grains.

Symbols of long life (including paper cranes and deer) also embellish the tree, which is usually topped by the genie of wealth, Liu Hai, or the character for happiness.