Feb., 191 2. Jade. 329 



in flat relief is laid around the body, from which a girdle of leaf -orna- 

 ments is drooping. The handle is surrounded by two combatant 

 dragons cut out in open-work. 



The resonant stones are much favored as birthday presents or 

 congratulatory gifts in general, as their designation k'ing (Giles 

 No. 2208) is punned upon with another word k'ing of the same sound 

 (No. 221 1) meaning "good luck, happiness, blessings, to congratulate." 

 The phrase ki k'ing "to strike the musical stone" is understood as 

 "may blessings attend you" or "good luck and best wishes." This 

 stone, therefore, forms part and parcel of the bride's dowry in Peking 

 (Grube, Zur Pekinger Volkskunde, p. 32). 



In the jade chimes of Plate LIV the upper smaller jade piece from 

 which the resonant stone is suspended is composed entirely of designs 

 intended as rebus. The peach as symbol of longevity stands for shou 

 "long life;" the svastika on it means wan "ten thousand," the bat fu 

 stands for fu "luck," the fungus of immortality for ling "high age," 

 and the orchid Ian for the verb Ian "to come to an end." Thus, this 

 ornament is read as the sentence: wan shou fu Ian ling, "Numberless 

 years and luck may come to an end only at old age! " (Compare Grube, 

 /. c, p. 138, No. 8). 



The resonant stone (31 cm X J3-5 cm), of white and greenish jade, 

 is carved in the shape of a scaly dragon surrounded by cloud-ornaments, 

 i. e. the dragon soaring in the clouds as the beneficial sender of rain. 

 Plate LIV shows the front-view, Plate LV the back where only the 

 scaly body is visible, while the head is floating in the clouds and hidden 

 under the cloud ornaments, a rather artistic conception. 



In the specimen on Plate LVI (38 cm high), the original shape of 

 the resonant stone is rather faithfully preserved; even the perforation 

 in the apex has been retained. The additional ornaments are intended 

 to be read as a rebus. The figure below the ring carved from a gray 

 and brown jade is a Buddhistic emblem, one of the Eight Precious Ob- 

 jects, in .Sanskrit crivatsa, in Chinese p'an ch'ang, and is used in the 

 rebus for ch'ang "long" which is connected with the character shou 

 "longevity" enclosed in a circle on the surface of the resonant stone; 

 the bat fu represents again fu "luck" and the two fishes yii mean yii 

 "abundance." The rebus therefore reads: ch'ang shou fu, k'ing yu 

 yii "Long life and luck, blessings and abundance!" Despite this 

 tendency, the single parts are harmoniously arranged and well propor- 

 tioned. Both faces, also in the double-fish ornament, are carved alike. 



The gong of sea-green jade on Plate LVI I is composed of three parts 

 connected by double chains of white jade, the links being cut out of 

 one solid piece of stone. The lower plaque (19 cm X 8 cm) is the bell 



