The Jade Book of the Emperor K'ang-hsi. In Chinese and Manchu. Beijing,
1661. This series of ten jade tablets records in Chinese and Manchu the
presentation of the temple name of Shih-tsu and the imperial title Chang
huang-ti to the emperor K'ang-hsi. Incised with blue and gold script, the
plates are strung together with two cords. They are wrapped in a gold embroidered
textile and housed in a wooden casket. The expensive, weighty, and permanent
materials of this book and its container signal the importance of the Confucian
text, a mixture of filial devotion, philosophy, and Theology.
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