I loved the pastry-like cut outs of the flowers I found near the city of Xi'an. They reminded me of the fruit pies my grandmother used to make for the week ends. Later that day, I saw a ceiling full of Chinese parasols, their flower-like shapes lapping each other like a flower bed oveflowing with flowers in summer time. So, I took this flat, flower shape and created the Chinese Parasol design - layering the flowers like the layers of pine tree branches that are depicted, so often in Chinese paintings.