What is the deal with this little guy on my #Chinese #soup #spoon? Is he a famous character from folklore or something? Is he human or some sort of gnome or mystical creature?

What is he holding above his head? (The character on it is the number 4, but I'm not sure that explains much.)

Is he holding up his pants with his other hand, to prevent them from falling down?

I just don't have enough context to understand the situation. #WhatIsThis #ArtInterpretation