Gourd

The Gourd is associated with the creation of mankind in ancient mythology.  In one version, it represented the primeval state of the universe.  Out of which was transformed Fuxi (伏羲） and nuwa （女媧）the first ancestors of human kind. The scholar Wen Yiduo based on 49 brother and sister myth collected by other ethnographers from Miao, Yao and other ethnic peoples, concluded that Fuxi and Nuw were in fact gourds.  

Calabash or bottle gourds represent the power of healing or protection against disease/evil spirits.  This symbolic association may be derive from the pronunciation of Gourd, hulu (葫芦）with the first character sounding similar to hu (护），ie to protect shield or guard.  It also sounds like hu (祜）meaning blessings.  It is also a homophone for fu and lu meaning happiness/wealth and emolument/officialdom.

Because the gourd has many seeds and grows on vine, it is also associated with fertility and endless number of offspring.  Sometime instead of the gourd, the cucumber, melon or pumpkin is used as all of them have many seeds to symbolise many offspring.  Sometime in the design, the swastika (wan) which sounds like million, is added to further enforce the meaning of many.