Empress Dowager Cixi's jade cabbage has such a meaning

Jadeite is a foreign jade that was introduced to China during the Qing Dynasty. Jadeite became famous in large part because of the Empress Dowager Cixi of the Qing Dynasty. Cixi was a famous "extravagant" empress dowager in history. During her lifetime, she loved pearls, agates, gems, jades, gold and silver utensils and other treasures. After her death, the treasures buried in her coffin were worth up to 100 million taels of silver. It is said that Empress Dowager Cixi was particularly fond of jade and collected all kinds of jade ornaments in a palace specially used to store treasures. Among Cixi's many jadeite collections, her favorites were the jade watermelon and jade cabbage ornaments. In history, Empress Dowager Cixi was in charge of the government behind the scenes and had great power. Why would such a strong woman fall in love with jade cabbage? There must be a reason for this, and let’s explore it today.

Jade Cabbage Production Process

The jade cabbage of Empress Dowager Cixi is made with complicated craftsmanship, and it is difficult to make it even with today's machines. There are 12 steps in making a jade article in the Qing Dynasty, including pounding sand, grinding slurry, opening jade, tying the tuo (Note: "tuo" is the same as "tuo" in ancient times, which means grinding wheel stone), flushing the tuo, grinding the tuo, hollowing out the cavity, applying flowers, drilling, making flowers through, drilling holes, using wood tuo and leather tuo. Such a complicated process contains the crystallization of the wisdom of the ancient Chinese, and it is also the best embodiment of the level of old jade production technology. After all, the advancement of modern machines cannot replace the fineness and attention to detail processing of the past.

At that time, the manufacturing industry was underdeveloped and there were no high-tech tools like today, but they were able to produce such a work that was enough to shock the world. This shows how talented the workers were. At that time, you had to use backward tools, grind it bit by bit, and even knock it. You have to know that jade is a relatively brittle material. If you are not careful, it will break, so you have to be extremely careful. It has to be made according to the model designed at that time, which shows how difficult it is. This is the Chinese craftsmanship and the strength of the craftsmen.

The meaning of Jade Cabbage:

In ancient times, the themes of jade carvings were very broad, including mountains, rivers, flowers, birds and beasts, historical allusions, folk legends, religious stories, etc. No matter what the subject matter is, each piece of jewelry has its unique aesthetic significance and cultural implication. The cultural connotations of jade jewelry are often expressed through homophones, metaphors, similes, and symbols, and homophones are the main way to understand the meaning of jade cabbage ornaments.

1. Gathering wealth

"Baicai" is homophonic to "Bai Cai", which means gathering wealth, attracting wealth, making a fortune, and gathering all kinds of wealth. People who do business pay attention to having broad connections and good fortune, so that they can accumulate wealth, attract money, and make a fortune. Wearing jade ornaments can bless them with good fortune and help them accumulate wealth. Therefore, it is suitable to give it to leaders, especially leaders who are businessmen. Placing a jade cabbage ornament in the leader's office is not only a symbol of status and taste, but also a spiritual object with the meaning of attracting wealth, which will surely be loved by the leader.

2. Display of wealth

In addition to being homophonic with "Bai Cai", Bai Cai is also homophonic with "Bai Cai", which means to show off one's wealth. It is a symbol of a wealthy family, so the jade cabbage also contains this meaning, symbolizing good fortune, wealth and good luck.

3. Saving money

It is taken from the homonym and shape of cabbage. The "菜" in cabbage is the same as "菜", and "菜心" is the same as "财心". The leaves of cabbage are stacked layer by layer, wrapped from the outside to the inside, which means wrapping up the wealth layer by layer, which is what people often call guarding wealth. Therefore, jade cabbage also has the meaning of guarding wealth.

4. Innocence

This is mainly based on the color of the cabbage. The leaves of cabbage are green and the roots are white, the green and white color alternates, symbolizing innocence. People in many parts of our country eat long-leaf cabbage and green vegetables during the Spring Festival, which symbolizes eternity and purity. By analogy, jade carvings of jadeite cabbage also have the meaning of "innocent" and "steadfast and pure".

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