A WHIITE JADE 'DUCK AND LOTUS' PENDANT
QING DYNASTY (1644-1911)

L 5.4 cm (2 1/8 in)

RESERVE: HK$ 40,000 / RMB 35,600

The Chinese character of duck(ya) contains the character jia(the first), it symbolizes kejia(the top rankers in imperial examination); lotus(lian) represents xiaolian, which is an elite selection system in Han Dynasty and later used to name juren(successful candidates of the regional examinations); lotus(lian) also sounds the same as continual. Duck and lotus are used to wish people pass through different levels of the imperial examinations, become the top rankers and hold significant official positions, implies the wish for excellence in academics and succeed in every endeavour.