A painted and gilt wood Chinese sign of Miao Cun Hua Yu dating from the 19th century. The four characters are painted black and raised on a carved, gilt, geometric, patterned background. The gilt border is carved with flowers, animals, and Shou medallions, and it is hollowed and painted red inside. Provenance: 25 3/4 inches tall X 74 1/2 inches wide X 2 1/4 inches thick; 65.4 cm tall X 1.89 m wide X 5.7 cm thick. All measurements are approximate. Condition: Front of piece has wood splitting. Part of the border is broken off on the left side. Edges are worn, and some gilding is worn on the front. Provenance: From the old collection of Mr. William Wu, San Francisco, USA. William Wu (1939-2007) was born in Shanghai and moved to Hong Kong with his family when he was young. In 1957, he was admitted to the Department of Philosophy at Princeton University. Because of his interest in history, in 1979 he received a doctorate in art history from Princeton University focusing on the Chinese artist Gong Xian. After graduation, he was successively employed as a professor of art history at Dartmouth, Oberlin, and other colleges. He later settled in San Francisco, California, where he presided over the Chinese Cultural Center, held regular cultural exhibitions, and devoted himself to introducing Chinese culture and artists to Western audiences. During the 1980s, he traveled between San Francisco and Shanghai and became an important bridge for cultural and artistic exchanges. Professor William Wu and the famous movie star Jet Li are distant relatives, and he was a great help in the early years of Jet Li's career development. Mr. Wu maintained contact with Jet Li during his life.