Both Money Trees and Candelabras are bronze artifacts designed as vertical forms, the difference between which is that candelabras must have lamps attached to the branches and money trees must have coins (with square perforation in the center) attached. The decorative motifs shared by both are immortals, dragons, bears, monkeys and so on, and Xiwangmu (Queen Mother of the West) was a deity emerging only on money trees. The phenomenon of the coexistence of these two bronze objects could only be seen in the peripheral areas of Sichuan Basin. Candelabras are practical lighting equipment while money trees are exclusively made as grave goods. Money trees bore the connotations of pursuit of fortune, longevity, harvesting and productiveness. The origination and connotation of candelabra are related to the "Mingzhu (Bright Candel)" for paying sacrifices in the ancient times. Money trees are mainly distributed in the southwestern area with Sichuan as the central region during the Han Dynasty to the Three-Kingdoms Period and candelabras are widely distributed in the Central Plains and other areas during the Warring-States Period to the Han Dynasty.
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