There are two poems on the cups: One describes how the gray jade was carved to contain wine; the other talks about sun and smoke, and wishes the emperor longevity and a harmonious married life.
There are three more characters on the cups, "Zigang Zhi", the name of the renowned jade carver Lu Zigang who made the cups.
When a grand wedding was held in the Forbidden City, the emperor and empress would spend their first night together in the Eastern Warm Pavilion of the Palace of Earthly Tranquility.
The interior walls of the room are painted bright red; the eastern and western gates are each shielded with a giant wooden screen bearing the words "double happiness". To the south of the room is a huge bed where the emperor and empress would enjoy their meal and pick up the hejin cup to drink wine together.
“Eagle-Bear” Hejin Cup
The Ming Dynasty
Gray jade
9.9 cm tall
Collected by the Palace Museum
The inside of the cups here are not connected, but the exterior is decorated with an eagle that is unfolding its wings and has a bear below its feet. Popularly known as an “eagle-bear” cup, the Chinese characters for this term are a homonym for “hero”, which is why it is also known as a “hero cup.”
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