Montegrappa Cosmopolitan China's Ancient God Fu Lu Shou 福禄寿

Montegrappa revived the Cosmopolitan series last year with five themes; The Arabian Animals of Desert, China's Ancient God, Bohemian Paris, Mt Rushmore and Victician England.

According to Montegrappa, the themes is launched based on five cultures, but we see it very differently. The five themes are launched to capture five different markets to ensure that the pen sells.


The Arabian Animals of Desert was launched for the mid-East market.

The China's Ancient God was launched for the Asia market, I feel it is mainly for the China market.

The Mt. Rushmore was launched for the American.

And the Bohemian Paris and Victician England was launched for the European.

One may wonder why two pens for the European. We think this is because the UK are the strong market outside the euro, and the Paris is one of the icon for the euro countries.

The China's Ancient God Fu Lu Shou 福禄寿 are sometimes called the "Three Stars." They are know Fu Xing, Lu Xing, and Shou Xing individually. In Chinese, "Xing" mean "star."

The God Fu Lu Shou was a Taoist concept dated back in the Ming Dynasty.

In ancient China, the Fu  (福) star refers to planet Jupiter as the traditional astrology believe it is the star f auspicious.

There is a Taoist legend dated back in Ming dynasty that there was a Daozhou governor who risked his life by writing a memorial to the Ming Emperor about the suffering of his people, which saved thousand of people. After his death, the Chinese people built a temple to commemorate him, and over time he came to be considered the personification of good fortune as he bring good luck to others and save people.
When the three Star are together, Fu Star is usually placed in the center.

The traditional Chinese astronomy believe that the sixth star in the Wenchang cluster is the Lu (禄) Star. Like the Fu Star, there is also a legend behind Lu Star.

It is believed Lu Star is Zhang Xian, who is a scholar of the Imperial Examination in the Shu dynasty. He helped success in the Imperial court, and a man with great influence. Therefore, the Lu star is the star of prosperity, rank, and influence.

It is said that the Shou star (寿) is the star of the South Pole in Chinese astronomy. It also believed to control the life spans of mortals.

According to an old legend, he was carried in his mother's womb for ten year before being born. It was also believed that he was borned as an old man. He gentleman with the high and domed forehead. He carry a peach on his hand, which symbolize immortality.

The Shour Star (God of Longevity) is usually smiling and friendly expression, and at times, you might see him carrying a gourd filled with Elixer of Life.

Like most Montegrappa Limited Edition, the nib is not decorated. It uses the standard Montegrappa 18K two tone nibs.

The Montegrappa Cosmopolitian is limited to 500 pieces worldwide for each theme.