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- 19 Ibid. For example, in 1775 imperial couriers were sent to Yarkand to get additional jade to make special sets of sonorous or music stones. On June 14,1776 six large pieces of jade weighing over 20,000 catties were sent to the palace in addition to the regular tri�bute, and in 1780 one extra piece of jade weighing over 9,000 catties was sent. From this we can see that additional jade was not requested every year, but occasionally for spe�cial purposes.
20 Hansford, �Jade and Jade Carving in the Ch�ing Dynasty,� op. cit., p. 33. A good example of the tremendous amount of jade needed for making these music stones occurred in 1762 when the Governor of the jade region sent 39 boulders with a total weight of 3,975 catties (more than 2Va tons) to Beijing for this purpose.
21 Ibid. There is a report dating from 1784 that the palace sent some 73 jade workers to Yarkand in response to a request by the Governor of Yarkand, in order to cut 300 slabs for jade books. The workers were semi-skilled and trimmed the boulders to the required shapes with a large circular saw (cha duo). Thus, they were able to select good pieces rather than wasting time by sending useless pieces to the palace.
22 For examination of the Silkworks see Sun E-tu Zen, Silk Industry in the Ch�ing Dynasty, Ann Arbor, 1 968.
23 Yang Boda, op. cit, p. 52. A good example of the sale of jade from imperial storage occurred on December 4,1804 when second to fifth grade jade pieces weighing 2,658 catties and 13 Hang were distributed to the Salt Administration Offices in Lianghuai and Changlu the Silkworks in Suzhou, Hangzhou and Jiangning, and the Maritime Customs of Can�ton for the purpose of selling. They were expected to accumulate the sum of 1,329 taels 4 qian 1 fen and 6 li of silver for the Imperial Household (1 tael is equal to one ounce of silver).
24 Many of the jade workers in these workshops were artisans transferred from the south, especially Suzhou. Some craftsmen were from the Eight Manchu Banner families and others were from the city of Beijing. Beijing jade carvers had been famous in the Yuan and Ming dynasties, and the products they made were often referred to as bei yu (nor�thern jade).
25 Yang Boda, loc. cit. In Beijing, the treatment of the jade craftsmen employed by the Bu�reau of Works was generally quite good. The skilled craftsmen, who came from Suzhou were paid 3 or 4 taels of silver every month for food, and each season they received 7 taels 5 qian of silver for clothing.
However, the jade workers were under the strict supervision of Manchu officials like Bai Tanga and Sula, and there were occasions of racial discrimination. Some Manchu jade supervisors used their social position to bully and insult the Chinese workers There is one incident which occurred as a result of the suppression. Because of harassment, a Suzhou jade engraver named Zhu Shiyun asked for leave of absence because of sick�ness, but instead he secretly fled to his home in the south. The Bureau of Works sent an official communication to the Suzhou authorities to have Zhu Shiyun arrested and re�turned to Beijing to undergo punishment.
26 Ibid., p. 54. Here are some examples which have been recorded. On August 26,1765 a winged wine cup of jade was ordered. The wine cup was to be 1 cun and 1 fen high, 2 cun and 9 fen wide, and 3 cun and 6 fen long. It took 33 workers to carve the rough shape, 20 workers to make the fine details, 9 workers to polish it, and 2 workers to engrave the four character reign mark of Qianlong. In total 64 workers laboured on the piece. Each worker was paid 1 qian 5 fen 4 li of silver, making a total of 9 taels 8 qian 5 fen 6 li of silver. In 1769 the jade workshops in Suzhou were asked to make a white jade cup with two dragon handles in the Song style. Five workers made the rough shape, 87 workers carved the final detailed shape and 6 workers polished it. It took 98 workers to finish the piece with the total salaries amounting to 15 taels 4 fen 2 li of silver. Also in 1769 Suzhou workers were asked to make a jade cup with two chrysanthemum-shaped handles. Eleven men worked on the rough shape, 23 carvers worked on the final details and 4 men polished it The total wages of the 38 workers came to 5 taels 8 qian 5 fen 2 li of silver
27 Ibid., p. 57.
28 The largest collection of Hindustan jades and Chinese imitations of them can be found in the National Palace Museum, Taiwan. See Teng, Catalogue of a Special Exhibition of Hindustan Jades in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1983.
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