A pampered posh pig: nannies, massages, own rooms

BEIJING, Aug. 1 -- Li Yuan never thought a pig could bring so much happiness - a laid-back sort that enjoys music, provides company on neighborhood strolls and makes friends easily.

Two years ago, Li bought the piglet from a market in Beijing. The male pig, a Bama miniature, had a short and round body.

Laifu greets a neighbor during the pig's daily stroll.  (Source: China Daily/Wang Jing)

Such piglets typically weigh 15 or 20 kg, or 33 to 44 pounds.

It was the pig's certain charm that sealed the sale.

"I found him looking like a lovely baby at my first glance," said Li, patting the pig's now-huge belly. "Oh, my boy, you are destined to meet me."

Told that raising a pig when she was in her 50s could bring good fortune, Li cherished the pig so much she named him Laifu (or "fortune comes").

"Indeed, he brings me good business and a peaceful soul," said Li, who is a merchant.

As a jade collector, Li knows that pigs symbolize fortune, and hence why so many Han Dynasty (206 BC - AD 220) royal families were buried with jade pigs in their coffins.

"Laifu comes not by accident," Li said, explaining that a fold of skin on his head resembling yuan bao, or ancient money, appeared four months after his arrival, to the delight of Li, who saw it as a good sign.