Next to the throne of the emperors throughout Chinese history there were two metal elephants. On the back of each was a flower vase. The figures made a play on the sound of tai ping you xiang, "peace has its symbol."
中國歷代皇帝在寶座之旁，照例會置放金屬製的兩隻象，象背馱著花瓶，諧音為「太平有象」。