Jadeite Cabbage

The Jadeite Cabbage is a small sculpture carved from a single piece of half-white, half-green jadeite to resemble a head of bok choy with insects on its leaves. Created around 1900, the piece demonstrates how Chinese craftsmen exploited natural color variations in stones to create realistic effects. A locust and katydid perch on the leaves, symbols of fertility.

The cabbage was part of the trousseau of Consort Jin, a concubine of the Guangxu Emperor, possibly symbolizing her purity (white) and fertility (green). The sculptor worked with the stone's natural coloration, carving leafy portions from the green areas and the dense heart from the white. Every visitor to Taiwan's National Palace Museum seeks out this tiny treasure, making it one of Asia's most famous artworks despite its modest 18-centimeter size.

The cabbage is a star attraction at the National Palace Museum.