However, black clothes do not necessarily signify mourning, and, because black was a more expensive dye, were often worn to signify wealth and status.

Cloaks called brats, on the other hand, would signify wealth if they were made from several different colours.

The perception that tanned skin signifies wealth, vitality, exoticism and adventure remains bizarrely dominant; having a tan and being thin are the twin totems of modern pulchritude.

In ancient times, a spacious siheyuan would be occupied by a single, usually large and extended family, signifying wealth and prosperity.