The condition of this mystical figure housed in the Shanghai Museum is completely intact. The jade texture is crystal clear and the craftsmanship superb. It is the only extant piece found in the world so far. Wearing a flat-topped hat and two earrings, with hands crossed at the chest, this image is generally believed to be a wizard conducting a religious rite and communicating with spirits.

Zhang blade, as a ceremonial weapon and a symbol of its owner's supreme power and identity, may have an association with mountain worship. Black jade, or xuanyu as named in pre-Qin documents, once took pride of place in the Central Plain and the west of China.

Majiabang Culture is the earliest civilization of Shanghai archaeology. Some jade ornaments appeared at that period. This piece of Jue was the one designed as an ornament to put on the ear by the ancient people. It was made of white chalcedony in ring shape with a notch. Gently pull down the earlobe to make it thinner and then clip the Jue to wear.

It is written in the Rites of the Zhou that bi discs are ritually associated with the Heaven. Bi disc is one of the chief artifact forms found in the Liangzhu culture, whose near-round outer rim testifies to the cosmological knowledge of ancient Chinese. More than ten jades have been found incised with signs of either a stepped altar or a bird perching on an altar, most of which are handed-down items.

This piece of work is a typical artefact of later Liangzhu Culture. With a height of 39.3 cm and 15 sections, it belongs to the larger pieces of the jade Cong of this kind both at home and abroad. On the four sides of each section it is decorated with symmetrical simplified anthropomorphic mask patterns. It is rare to see such a flying bird pattern on the top opening.

The character '王', a Chinese term for king, originates from the pictograph of yue axe, which depicts an axe's cutting edge facing downward. The character '父' (father) derives its form from the image of a human holding an axe-from scepter as a symbol of power. With no traces of use, jade scepters signify kingship and military power.

Some scholars believe that the design of a falcon catching a human head represents the practice of offering the head of a killed adversary to gods. Others think that the falcon is the incarnation of the God of Dongyi People, and the human head instead symbolizes the valour from their ancestry.

Cong was a sacrificial vessel as well as an object used for burial and funeral ceremonies. This piece was carved with the simplified deity mask pattern on the upper part and the simplified mythological creature mask pattern on the lower part. Both sides of the masks are decorated with flying birds, symbolizing the messengers of the deity.

Jade ge dagger, as a type of ritual weapon, often featured a pointed tip, a curved blade, and a straight tang. Ge daggers might have a close association with gui tablets and zhang blades. From the Warring States period on, jade ge took the influence of contemporary bronze dagger-axes to have a hu (胡; a bolster) before its decline.

Many Shang-dynasty jade xis (觿) were deposited as grave goods with small bronze articles, such as bow-shaped fittings and arrowheads. Therefore, they were probably ceremonial ornaments associated with chariot fittings and bow accessories.

In the Xia, Shang and Western Zhou dynasties, in order to consolidate power and regulate the rites, the rulers established a system of meaningful jades, as a result of which a series of jade ritual objects appeared. Other than sacrificial vessels, there were also some ceremonial objects in imitation of bronze weapons, which were not for practical use, but only to increase the majesty of the state on important ceremonial occasions.

A kind of decorative pattern combining man and animal designs began to appear among the jade wares in the Western Zhou dynasty, which was rarely seen in other eras. With a phoenix on top and a dragon below in the composition, this pattern was the trendy design of the mid and late Western Zhou period, also fairly common on the bronze wares of the same time. It might be related to the legend of the rising of Zhou ‘phoenix singing on the Qishan Mountain’, implying an auspicious meaning.

An inscription that reads 'seven hundred and fifty-two' (七百五十二) is found at the outer rim of the work, which was probably a serial number used for storage.

She, or '韘' in Chinese, is a thumb ring used in archery to protect the thumb when drawing a bow. From the middle Warring State period onward, jade she evolved from an archery device into an ornamental pendant.

Zhi (a slotted jade fitting attached to a sword-scabbard) is the accessory of an ancient sword. This piece of work in grey jade texture is relatively thick and heavy. It is carved with the design of coiled interwoven dragon, phoenix, tiger and serpent images in low relief with artful technique. It is one of the most complicated and delicate jade pieces of its kind seen so far.

Shangfang, or '尚方' in Chinese, is a Han-dynasty government agency responsible for imperial commissions. This '尚方' zhi (scabbard slide) indicates that Shangfang may have also been an official jade-carving organization which produced jade fittings.

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'.

Jade gangmao (刚卯) and yanmao (严卯) were cuboid amulets with evil-exorcising verses inscribed on four faces. While gangmao and yanmao differed in inscription, they both served as an evil exorciser. The Eastern Han court required its officials and officers to wear a gangmao as an accessory to court attire, and jade gangmaos were worn exclusively by noblemen ranked marquis or above.

The Deed of Land is a purchase proof made of various mediums. It is a type of grave goods that serves as a document claiming the deceased's ownership of the burial ground. The present item is the only jade of its kind found so far. It features inscriptions on both sides, recording on obverse the fact that Miying, the tomb master, bought this burial ground in the 6^th year of the Jianchu reign (81 CE), as well as the transaction details, including the size of the property and the witnesses' names.

This is a belt buckle for the emperor's robe. There are a number of small holes on the dragon, supposed to be inlaid with precious stones. The inscription on the back records the manufacturing time, the manufacturing agency, the object name, the man-hours employed, and the name of the maker and so on. Based on textual research, it is an object used by the emperor in the Jin dynasty.

Jade vessels in the Tang dynasty included bowls, cups, handless cups, cases and so on. The rim of this plate is shaped like twelve mallow petals, which perhaps was influenced by the shape and structure of gold and silver wares or porcelain. With the mild and crystal clear texture of the jade, the exterior of the vessel is carved in relief patterns of two dragons playing with a pearl, which is a typical dragon design style of the Tang dynasty. It is very rare in the excavated and handed down relics of this kind. Not only can this plate be used as furnishing, but also for practical use.

Since the Song dynasty, chilian tongzi, the design of a child holding lotus, has become a popular decoration for artifacts. It implies 'bringing forth one son after another' to a family and may have originated from the Buddhist story Lady Deer Mother Gave Birth to a Lotus Flower.

'Spring Water' and 'Autumn Mountain' are two primary themes of jade carving prevalent in the Jin and Yuan dynasties; they originate from the spring and autumn hunts of the nomadic peoples in northern China. The 'Spring Water' depicts a falcon snatching a wild goose over water, and the 'Autumn Mountain' showcases deer and tigers wandering in forests. In some cases, skilled artisans made use of the coloration of a jadestone to highlight a theme, which is called qiaose (俏色), the clever use of colors.

Legend had it that the Zigang rectangular pendant was invented by the jade carving master Lu Zigang of Suzhou in the Ming dynasty, which was full of literary charm and highly pursued for a time. The jade piece is carved with mutton-fat white jade, decorated with a Chi-dragon (hornless dragon, one of the nine sons of Dragon) design on both sides in different postures. With meticulous cutting techniques, this piece of work provides valuable information for people today to learn about the original state of Zigang plates of the Ming dynasty.

A belt buckle is a clasp for fastening a belt in ancient China. The present buckle features two elaborate carvings in low relief, 'Mi Fu Worshiping a Rock' on the slide and 'Zhang Qian Taking a Raft Ride' on the hook.

Xiapei, evolved from Tang-dynasty peibo, a long scarf loosely worn over the shoulders, body and arms. The xiapei scarf was ornamented at its front end with a xiapeizhui (pendant for a xiapei scarf) which could be made of diverse materials, such as jade and gold. The Ming court placed strict guidelines on the use of xiapeizhui.

The function of jade finials is still in discussion as implied by their denominations, maoding (a hat finial) and luding (a finial for a censor lid). Maodings flourished in the Yuan dynasty as an indicator of identity. They were often converted in ludings to decorate archaistic bronzes after the Ming court abolished the Yuan code of costumes. They both have decorative and utilitarian functions.

This tray-form case, ornately embellished with floral inlays, falls into the category of Hindustan jade created in the Mughal Empire in North India and the Ottoman Empire that is the present Turkey. Hindustan jade is characterized by an excessively thin body with gold gem sets. This tray, inlaid with ruby and emerald in its exterior, should have had a cover atop.

In the Ming and Qing dynasties, the thriving jade industry generated an interesting phenomenon—various carving schools based in places such as Peking, Suchow and Yangzhou. They were bred by regional geology, economy, customs and practices. The Yangzhou Carvings are well known for large indoor decorative works, such as jade mountains.

The imitated antique jade wares of the Ming and Qing were the copies of the bronze sacrificial vessels of the Shang and Zhou dynasties, but with variations and contemporary features. They were regarded as the re-creation of art. The bronze Gu was formerly used as a drinking vessel. The jade Gu on the other hand was generally used for flower arrangements, known as a flower goblet. This piece of jade work was made from a high grade yellow jade produced in Hotan, Xinjiang, which was pure and immaculate. Many of the jade works in the Qing palace were made from yellow jade, as a symbol of the dignity of the royal families. This flower goblet is carved with three Chi-dragons in relief. The Chi-dragon is a legendary dragon, with the partial tone of xi (happiness), symbolizing good luck. It became one of the main decorative patterns of jade wares together with dragon design after the Han dynasty. The date mark on the base of the Gu is 'Qian Long Nian Zhi', meaning 'made in the reign period of Qianlong', indicating it was an object used by the Emperor Qianlong.