Two cultural relics, namely a rabbit-shaped jade paperweight and a set of high-footed gold cups from Quzhou, were recently included on the list of the top 100 treasures of museums in Zhejiang province, which was released by the Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau and the Zhejiang Museum Association.

The rabbit-shaped jade paperweight is now housed at the Quzhou Museum. It was unearthed from a Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279) couple's tomb discovered in 1974. The tomb owner, Shi Shengzu, was a mid-level official of the Southern Song Dynasty and a famous scholar.

A rabbit-shaped jade paperweight from the Southern Song Dynasty. [Photo/WeChat account: quzhoufb]

Jade carving in the Song Dynasty (960-1279) advocated realism and was particularly good at expressing the abundant vitality of animals and plants. This rabbit-shaped jade paperweight unearthed from Shi's tomb is a particularly unique specimen.

The set of high-footed gold cups from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), including two chrysanthemum-shaped high-footed gold cups and two diamond-shaped high-footed gold cups, is housed at the Longyou Museum and represents the highest level of gold and silver craftsmanship at the time. The four cups have been designated as national first-class cultural relics by the National Committee of Cultural Relics.

A set of high-footed gold cups from the Ming Dynasty. [Photo/WeChat account: quzhoufb]