A guided tour of the palace museum or a quick stop to any antique store in Taiwan will open to you an exciting world of Chinese jade. The wide range of jade ornaments that come in all shapes and sizes colors and themes has for thousand of years played a vital role in the daily life of the Chinese.

 From ancient times the Chinese have not only cherish jade as a precious stone to be manipulated into exquisite showpieces and jewelry. They have also incorporated it into a versatile function into the very core of Chinese culture. As early as the Bronze Age jade utensils have been set apart for ceremonial purposes.

 These ancient jade artifacts have provided historian with valuable clues on ancient ceremonial practices other jade connoisseur have attempted to gleam hints of an ancient past from other jade artifacts including decorative ornament and artifacts.

 The art of jade carving and inlayed design is indeed both a long and rich history.

 Although it reached it peak of development only after the rare Burmese jade was discovered and imported into China in the 18 century jade implements actually date as far back as the Stone Age.

 Stone tools dating from the Neolithic period contain a natural beauty and hardness grain similar to those of later jade artifacts.

 The infinite variety of jade items can be roughly categorized into five broad categories ceremonial utensils, imperial tokens, decorative ornaments, inlayed articles, and burial artifacts.

 Exemplary of ancient ceremonial items is simple yet elegant Liu Rui the imperial tablets bestowed on ranking officials. Another type of ceremonial items the Liu Rui was used during sacrificial rites to honor the teaming pantheon of spirits and deities.

 The Liu Rui consists of six types of Rui, conferred accordingly on the six highest echelon of nobility of China including the emperor.

 Nobility in the top four strata of the aristocracy class: the graceful elongated tablet with a square base and a pointed top the Jue Wei was for the emperor the Wang, Gong for the duke the Zhen Qui for a marquee and a Huan Qui for an Earl. The two lower ranking Qui of nobility the viscount and the baron were conferred with a round ceremonial ornament called the pee. Although all types of the Qui share the same elongated shape they were categorized according to size to distinguish the four grades of officials. Each measurement denotes the specific level and authority similarly the different designs and piece classified the rank of lower officials.

 When the futile lords would convene they would present their jade tally to clarify their rank and position before getting down to business.

 Another groups of ceremonial ornaments were known collectively as Liu Qi

 This group includes a round greenish pea and a straw colored Tang design for worshiping the heavenly deities and the earthly spirits respectively. A colorful ray of ornaments was reserved for honoring the four deities in the Four Corners of the cosmos. Including the greenish Qui, the reddish Zhang, the creamy white Hu carved in the shape of a tiger and the black crescent shaped Huang.

 Each of these colorful sacrificial ornaments are packed with symbolic significance each color notes a certain quality. The emerald hue of the pea that was used to worship the heaven signified the grandeur and the great expanse of the sky and the straw colored stone, which was used to honor the earthly spirits, reflects the rich luster of the golden harvest.

 Like jade colors the shape of jade ornaments also denotes deep symbolic syllables the round pea was specifically picked to honor the heavenly deities. Since heaven was conceived by the Chinese as a round entity.

 Similarly the rectangular Tang is used for worshiping the earth, which was believed to be square. The shape and colors of other types of Liu Qi were similarly selected to principals of Chinese alchemy.