Date: Eastern Han (25-220)

Dimensions: Length 5.5 cm, Width 2.1 cm, Height 3.2 cm

Material: Jade

• Object Type：
  • JADE
• Location：
  • Ancient Chinese Jade Gallery
• Tag：
  • sheng plaque four celestial creature eastern han jade

The Four Celestial Creatures refer to the four images in Chinese mythology, which include the Azure Dragon (qinglong) of the East, the Vermilion Bird (zhuque) of the South, the White Tiger (baihu) of the West, and the Black Tortoise (xuanwu) of the North. They are viewed as the guardians of the four cardinal directions. The two partition posts are inscribed with '长宜子孙，延寿万年' (changyi zisun, yanshou wannian), which literally means 'to benefit a long line of descendants and extend their lives to ten thousand years'.