Feb., iqi2. Jade. 331 



blessing and abundance!" The disk (10.5 cm in diameter) is orna- 

 mented in conformity with the ancient approved style, the grain 

 pattern (ku) on one side, and interlaced bands on the other. Also this 

 set is credited to the K'ien-lung period. 



Presents of jade objects were always fashionable in China and 

 truly imperial gifts. Especially the arrival of a new offspring in the 

 imperial family gave the occasion for bestowing upon him fine jade 

 carvings implying wishes for long life. In the "Annals of the Kin 

 Dynasty" (Kin shin), it is on record that in the 26th year of the period 

 Ta-ting (1186 a. d.) a great-grandson was born to the emperor; in cele- 

 bration of this event, a banquet was given in the K'ing-ho Palace, 

 on which occasion the emperor presented the infant with a set of moun- 

 tains carved in jade. Such sculptured jade landscapes are known under 

 the name "longevity mountains" (shou shan). 



An artificial hill of jade was erected in the palace of the Mongol 

 emperors in Peking (Bretschneider in Chinese Recorder, Vol. VI, 



1875. P- 3 J 9)- 



A good example of such mountain-scenery is illustrated on Plates 

 LX and LXI, the former showing the front -view, the latter the back of 

 the carving. Rocks are piled up in graceful irregularity such as we 

 are wont to see strewn around in Chinese gardens. Five clusters of 

 fungi of immortality {ling chih) are growing out of the clefts of the rock, 

 and two cranes, emblems of long life, add to the symbolic significance. 1 

 The bird standing below is turning its head back and looking up to its 

 companion clinging with outspread wings to the edge of the rock. In 

 Plate LXI the wings of this crane may be viewed; the rocks are covered 

 with bamboo stems and leaves. This carving (19 cm X 15 cm; 3.5 cm 

 thick at the base) is cut out of one solid piece of grayish jade and is a 

 perfect masterpiece in every detail. Its date is in the K'ang-hi period 

 (1662-1722). 2 



The screen figured on Plates LXI I and LXI II in two views is carved 

 from a white jade slab with light-green speckles and a few reddish 

 veins, 0.6 cm thick, 30 cm long and 21.2 cm wide. It is enclosed by 



1 There is doubtless also a rebus intended in this subject to be read chu ling 

 hao shan, i. e. "We pray for a life as long as that of the crane and the mountains." 



2 Dr. Bushell describes a similar type in the Bishop collection as follows (Bishop, 

 Vol. II, p. 216) : "A little irregular piece carved in bold relief in the form of a moun- 

 tain with trees and water in the usual style of a Chinese landscape, the pine occupying 

 a conspicuous place. A stairway is cut in the hillside leading up to a pavilion with 

 four pillars which is built upon a platform of rock above. In the foreground stand 

 two figures in Taoist costume: an old man with a peach in his hand, representing 

 Shou Lao, the god of longevity, accompanied by a youthful attendant carrying a 

 branch upon his shoulder. At the back appears a similar scene with longevity 

 emblems, including a pair of storks and a gigantic sacred fungus (ling-chih) growing 

 from the rocks below." 



