The Last Empress: A Life Witnessed by Jade Jewelry

When it comes to jadeite in the Qing Dynasty, everyone will think of Cixi first. In fact, in addition to Cixi, there is another woman with an unfortunate fate who also has an inexplicable relationship with jadeite. She is the last empress of the Qing Dynasty - Wanrong.

Wanrong Guo (November 13, 1906 - June 20, 1946), whose courtesy name was Muhong and pseudonym was Zhilian, was from the Manchu Plain White Banner (Daur ethnic group). She was the wife of the last emperor of the Qing Dynasty, Puyi, and the last empress of the Qing Dynasty and China. The two characters "Wanrong" and her courtesy name "Muhong" come from "The Goddess of Luo River": "She is graceful as a startled swan and gentle as a swimming dragon." From the existing photos of Wanrong, she is dignified and beautiful, and she is also versatile. She is proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and painting, and is well-known among the Manchu nobles. She was selected into the palace at the age of 16 and became the last empress in the history of the Qing Dynasty.

Wanrong's tragic life began when she entered the palace in 1922. At this time, the last emperor Puyi had abdicated for many years and had no real power, only a title. However, according to the preferential treatment of the National Government, the royal family still lived in the Forbidden City, the title of Qing Emperor was still retained, and the Republic of China treated him with the same courtesy as foreign monarchs. The National Government allocated 4 million taels of silver annually. The private property of the Qing emperor was specially protected by the National Government, and Wanrong was also able to inherit the jewelry of successive Qing Dynasty empresses.

This set of jade jewelry, which appeared at the Sotheby's auction in 2014, is said to have come from a private collection overseas. Decades ago, this set of jade jewelry was given to the current collector's mother by Empress Wanrong. The jadeite jewellery set includes a jadeite bead necklace with gold filigree beads, a traditional round bracelet and a saddle ring.

The jade necklace is of premium quality in both colour and texture, with each bead being round and full, measuring 14.50 x 12.00 mm. The gold filigree beads on it are a craft unique to the Qing Palace. According to historical records, the Imperial Household Department, which produced jewelry for the Qing imperial court, listed this as one of the most complex types of work.

The jade bracelet is full green, which is very rare nowadays, and is 10.30 mm thick. Although there are slight flaws in the polishing, these are just traces left by the old craftsmanship.

The saddle ring has uniform color, a thick band, and a transparent color, which is very rare. In addition to this set, the openwork double happiness jade pendant worn by Wanrong and Puyi at their wedding is also a masterpiece handed down from generation to generation. The exquisite and sophisticated workmanship can be seen in the details.

There are strict requirements for the production of palace jadeite, which more reflects the beauty of craftsmanship. The matching accessories are also very particular in terms of material and color, highlighting the grandeur of court jewelry. Jadeite made of such luxurious materials and fine workmanship is rare nowadays.

Wanrong experienced both wealth and hardship in her life, and ultimately died tragically. What remains now are the jewellery she once owned and wore. These precious jade jewellery not only exist as jewellery, but also record forever the exquisite traditional craftsmanship of China. The person is gone and time has passed. Jade jewelry has witnessed Wanrong's life experience. We also recall her beauty from the jewelry that has been preserved to this day, and narrate the touching stories that once happened in our memories.

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