Other Jades in National Palace Museum, part2

Welcome to the National Palace Museum's collection of jades from the Song dynasty! These pieces are some of the most exquisite and unique artifacts from this period in Chinese history. You will find a variety of different jades on display here, including a Jade Tablet, Jade Pi-Hsieh, auspicious beast, Jade Gui Tablet, Xi Bodkin with Chi Tiger Pattern, Jade Duck, Jade Hooked Cloud-shaped Pei Ornament, Jade Pig-dragon and Jade High-stemmed Cup. Each of these pieces is a work of art, crafted with skill and precision by ancient Chinese artisans. Come explore these beautiful jades today!

1. Jade Tablet

The hardness of the jade tablet on the Mohr's scale is 6.5, and it is marked by a warm luster. The color is ochre-red along with yellow and green as well as spots of varying sizes, appearing like stars in the Milky Way.

2. Jade Pi-Hsieh, auspicious beast

The "pi-hsieh" is a mythological creature that people in ancient China thought could ward off evil forces. It was often represented as a winged, four-legged beast, and huge stone statues of it were placed along the spirit road leading up to tombs.

3. Jade Gui Tablet

The Longshan culture was a time when social divisions became more distinct. Only members of the ruling class were allowed to use jade, which was seen as a symbol of social status. Long, narrow pieces of jade were called gui, while larger, broader pieces were known as yue.

4. Jade Gui Tablet

This jade gui tablet is yellow on both sides, with the lower half of the reverse side having a red tinge. The cutting edge of the blade is much darker, almost black, and exhibits many nicks. The other end, where the tablet was held, also shows signs of damage.

5. Xi Bodkin with Chi Tiger Pattern

This piece is a carving of a "xi" dragon, a type of hornless dragon that resembles a tiger. The dragon is shown in profile, with its head turned back. The carving is unique because it is made with hints of russet red.

6. Jade Duck

This jade duck was sculpted using a yellow nephrite. Its head, belly, and feet are dark brown in color. The jade duck features simple sculpting techniques. However, its physical features (i.e., lifted tail and rounded bottom) were accurately portrayed to evoke a sense of

7. Jade Hooked Cloud-shaped Pei Ornament

The ancient Hongshan people saw birds of prey soaring over the deserts and steppes to the west of the Liao River and north of Mount Yan. They concluded that these magnificent birds with strong arched beaks were "mystical" messengers of the gods.

8. Jade Pig-dragon

This unusual-looking pig-dragon is a jade object from the Hongshan Culture. It has bat ears, a wrinkled nose, and an arched mouth, and it looks like an animal embryo.

9. Jade High-stemmed Cup

This is a beautiful, carved jade cup with a high foot. The cup is long and slender, with a round cavity bored through and a handle. There are five horizontal bands extending from the rim to the top of the foot, carved with different cloud and four-petal motifs.