This Jadeite Cabbage is on permanent exhibition at the Treasure Gallery 珍宝馆 in the Palace Museum and is the largest of all the Qing palace cabbages found to date in the museums.
Jadeite Cabbage-shaped Flower Holder 翠白菜式花插
Jadeite | Qing Dynasty (1644-1912) | H: 24.3cm, D: 12.8 x 7.0cm | The Palace Museum Collection. 玉器｜清（公元1644年-1912年）｜高24.3厘米，口径12.8×7厘米｜北京故宮博物院藏
The flower holder is made from Cambodian emerald 缅甸翡翠, and the round carving is made into a whole cabbage. The leaves are green, and the leaves are fat and upright. There is an oval hole in the centre for flower arrangement.
The craftsman uses this brown-red colour to carve into leaf veins, which are more distinct in layers and have a strong sense of three-dimensionality. The yellow-brown colour on the edges of some leaves is closer to the natural condition.1
The bottom is carved to look like the root of the cabbage. The mahogany base is matched with carved Taihu stones, lingzhi and bamboo leaf patterns. While the skill of the carver is breathtaking, many (me included) have said that this is not the best one out there.
Emerald jade products appeared in large numbers after the mid-Qing period, but most of them were ornaments, jewellery and other small items.
Although this jade cabbage flower holder is made of emerald, the quality of the material is average, and there are brown strains in the green that have been incorporated into the sculpture to hide the blemish.
This has led to many visitors saying that the Palace Museum has nothing good to offer.
Jadeite Cabbage 翠玉白菜
Jadeite | Guangxu Reign (r. 1875-1908), Qing Dynasty (1644-1912) | Dimensions – H:18.7cm, W: 9.1cm, Thickness: 5.07cm | National Palace Museum Collection. 玉器｜清 光绪（公元1875年-1908年在位）｜高18.7公分，宽9.1公分，厚度达到5.07公分｜國立故宮博物院藏
Shan Jixiang 单霁翔, former director of the Beijing Palace Museum, said that “China’s best cultural relics were packaged and transported to Taiwan” is a false propaganda since the opening of the National Palace Museum. He said that only about 22% of the cultural relics have been moved to Taiwan; and said that the Jadeite Cabbage 翠玉白菜 (above) of the National Palace Museum is only an inferior sample.2
Jadeite Cabbage-shaped Flower Holder 翠玉白菜花插
Jade | Qing Dynasty (1644-1912) | H: 10.7cm, W:9.7cm, (Base) D: 2.0cm | National Palace Museum Collection. 玉器｜清 （公元1644年-1912年）｜高10.7公分、寬9.1公分、底徑2.0公分｜國立故宮博物院藏
When we compared the Beijing cabbage with the Jadeite cabbage-shaped flower holder (above) in the National Palace Museum, I would disagree with Director Shan’s comment. While China’s museums have lots of artefacts and relics, NPM has some of the finest examples of Qing royal collection. These were curated and finally made their way to Taiwan to avoid damage from the wars. Therefore we can trust that the forefathers had done their best to select those worth the hassle.
Jadeite Cabbage 翠玉小白菜
Jade | Qing Dynasty (1644-1912) | L: 8.9cm, W: 8.9cm, (Overall) H: 13.4cm | National Palace Museum Collection. 玉器｜清 （公元1644年-1912年）｜長8.9公分、寬8.9公分、通高13.4公分｜國立故宮博物院藏
Why the infatuation with napa cabbage or bokchoy as a theme for these craftsmen you may ask? In a poem written in 1775, Emperor Qianlong associated the Jadeite Cabbage-shaped Flower Holder with the tradition of metaphorical criticism found in the Tang dynasty poetry of Du Fu, in which an official was unable to recognise a vegetable in a garden. The emperor thereupon took this as a warning to be careful and alert.3
Jadeite Cabbage with Katydids 翡翠蝈蝈白菜
Jadeite | Qing dynasty (1644-1912) | H: 19.4cm, W: 14.0cm, Wt: ~2kg | Tianjin Museum collection. 玉器｜清（公元1644年-1922年）｜高19.4厘米 宽14厘米 重约2公斤｜天津博物館藏
Regardless of whether it is a court craftsman or the maker of these jadeite cabbages, all are merely giving play to their imagination and creativity, following the tastes and directions of their patrons. Despite not having more historical records to probe these ideas, it nonetheless provides the viewer with greater room for imagination.
About Chinese National Treasure Series
中華國寶系列 Chinese National Treasure series feature specific artefacts and relics from museums all around the world that are historically significant to be considered a National Treasure. The series covers the 5,000 years of Chinese civilisation from Neolithic periods before the Xia dynasty (c. 2070-1600 BC) to modern day.
Footnotes :
- 花插为翡翠质地，圆雕作一整颗白菜，菜叶碧绿，叶片肥硕，挺拔直立。中部有一椭圆形孔，以供插花。底以菜根为足，下配以镂雕山石、灵芝、竹叶纹的红木座。
翠玉制品在清中期后才大量出现，但多为佩饰、首饰等小件器物。此件翡翠白菜花插虽为翠根琢制而成，质地一般，干绿色中有褐色的绺纹，工匠利用了这褐红的翡色雕琢成叶脉纹，层次更加分明，立体感极强，一些叶片边缘的黄褐色更接近于自然状况。Museum information card https://www.dpm.org.cn/collection/jade/230774.html, accessed 21 Nov 2025 ↩︎ - 北京故宮：台北故宮的鎮館之寶翠玉白菜是三級品，其實鎮館之寶是他們
余宗翰，更新時間2018年6月6日
根據《聯合新聞網》，北京故宮博物館館長單霽翔近日表示，「中國最好的文物被打包南遷運到台灣」的說法是台北故宮開館以來的錯誤宣傳，他表示大約只有22%的文物被遷至台灣；並表示台北故宮吹捧的鎮館之寶 ─ 翠玉白菜只是三級品。https://tw.news.yahoo.com/北京故宮-台北故宮的鎮館之寶翠玉白菜是三級品-其實鎮館之寶是他們-110000311.html, accessed 21 Nov 2025 ↩︎ - https://web.archive.org/web/20081201033441/http://www.npm.gov.tw/en/collection/selections_02.htm?docno=867&catno=16&pageno=2, accessed 21 Nov 2025 ↩︎
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