The British Museum, being one of the largest museums in the world, it is home to over 7 million objects from all the world's continents. There are more than 23,000 Chinese relics in the British Museum, including national treasures like gems, artwork and ancient bronze ware objects, among which the most attractive treasures are the Jade Coiled Dragon of Longshan Culture, the Gold Dagger Handle of Western Zhou Dynasty(About1100-771BC),the jade cicadas and Jade Figure of a Crouching Animal of Han Dynasty(206BC-220AD) and the Picture of Lady Officials. .
Jade Cicadas
For protecting the dead
Han dynasty (206 BC - AD 220)
The cicada often appeared on birthday gifts in China, representing wishes for the recipient's longevity. In death, the cicada may have stood for resurrection. Jade has always been highly valued in China, in this life and for use in the afterlife. It was thought to have special powers, possibly protective ones. The Chinese believed that, after death, it preserved the corpse. Cicadas made of jade were placed on the corpse's tongue before burial. Sometimes glass was used as a less expensive substitute.
The Chinese placed jade objects in their tombs as early as the Neolithic period (about 4000 BC). Jade was first used to cover specific parts of the body during the Western Zhou dynasty (1050-771 BC). In the Han dynasty (206 BC-AD 220), the practice arose of the plugging of the corpse's nine orifices with jade. The cicada was placed on the tongue, plaques covered the eyes and plugs filled the nose and ears.
Gold Dagger Handle
A very fine openwork cast gold sword hilt
Eastern Zhou dynasty, 6th-5th century BC
In ancient China, gold and silver were not the prestigious materials they were in the West. Jade and bronze were more highly prized. Gold was used for decorative purposes, as inlay or coating on bronze or lacquer, and only very rarely for vessels or other independent objects.
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