#jade displayed a #Qingdynasty bureaucrat's education and good taste

In a tradition dating to China's first empires, government officials were both civil servants and educated scholars. To attain their jobs, government workers took rigorous exams that tested their knowledge of history, literature, philosophy, and the arts. Jade, with its ancient literary and mythological associations, held special meaning for these educated men, who displayed it proudly on their desktops.