Qing Dynasty
Jadeite Cabbage
19th century
The 'Jadeite Cabbage' ('Cuìyù báicài') was carved in the Qing dynasty around the 19th century from a single piece of half-green, half-white jadeite, the natural colour divisions exploited to produce a luminous white stalk rising into translucent green leaves. A katydid and a grasshopper, also rendered in jade, cling to the leaves as symbols of fertility. Once part of Empress Dowager Cixi's dowry, the object has been displayed at the National Palace Museum in Taipei since 1949 and is the museum's most popular object.
Exhibition Venue
Image source: Added by operations team