Dish on footring with a straight underglaze brown-edged rim (jia mangkou). Decorated in underglaze blue and famille verte enamels, iron-red, blue, yellow, gray, black enamel and gold with a tree and various flowering plants in a central roundel, The sides are undecorated. Round the rim four cartouches filled with flowering plants reserved on a diaper pattern border. On the reverse two peony flower sprays.

Tree-worship was widely spread throughout China in ancient times, as is evidenced for a long time by the reluctance of the people to cut down trees in the neighbourhood of temples and graves. Often, the shrine of a local god was placed at the roots or in the fork of a tree remarkable for its size and beauty. It was believed that the soul of the god resides in the tree, which is therefore held to be sacred. If dug up or cut down, the person doing so was liable to die. There are many references in Chinese literature to trees that bleed and utter cries of pain or indignation when hewed down. A strip of red cloth or paper is often attached to a tree in order to keep it safe from the spirits of evil, who always avoid that particular colour of happiness and good fortune. (Williams 1976, pp.407-408)

References:

Williams 1976, pp.407-408