Friends who have been to visit the Capital Museum have noticed that there is a particularly beautiful jade wrench in the jade exhibition hall.
Emerald green in color and excellent transparency, this wrench is a treasure of the Capital Museum.
It is the wrench finger worn by the famous grand eunuch Li Lianying at the end of the Qing Dynasty.
Figure | Jade Wrench Finger Capital Museum Collection
Wrench
The wrench, also known as the "plate finger", also known as the "ban finger" or "梆 finger", was originally a short tubular ornament worn by a Manchu man on the thumb of his right hand.
Originally a trigger finger to assist the study of martial arts, due to the envy and emulation of the vast number of men of the Manchu and Han ethnic groups, it has become an extremely fashionable ornament.
From the emperor and the princes and ministers, down to the Manchu and Han banner children and rich merchants, although the dignity and inferiority are different, they all like to wear it.
Figure | Golden Perkinsin Wrench Clear
Due to the need to highlight the status of identity, the texture of the wrench has also developed from the original rhinoceros horn and camel bone to ivory, crystal, jade, porcelain, jadeite, tourmaline and other precious and smooth raw materials.
The wrench worn by ordinary flag people is the most white jade grinder, and the noble wrench is selected by the jadeite.
Regarding this green wrench, some experts believe that the value has reached 200 million yuan.
So what is the origin of this wrench, and what are the stories circulating before it reaches Li Lianying's hand?
Figure | Jasper carved poem wrench Finger Qing Qianlong
Li Lianying
Li Lianying, formerly known as Li Jinxi, "Li Lianying" is a name that Cixi re-created for him.
He was the chief eunuch in the court of the late Qing Dynasty, accompanied Cixi for more than 50 years, and was deeply favored by Cixi, so his power fell to the opposition and his family wealth was in the world, and he was called "nine thousand years old".
During Li Lianying's more than 50 years in the palace, he went through the four dynasties of Xianfeng, Tongzhi, Guangxu, and Xuantong, and Cixi left the palace after his death.
Therefore, Li Lianying's jade ring is also inextricably linked to Cixi, who graced him.
Figure | Middle Cixi, left Cui Yugui, right Li Lianying
Cixi and Prince Gong
In China a hundred years ago, jadeite was not expensive, its value was not high, and it was not valued by the world.
Although jadeite is liked by some dignitaries and nobles, when it comes to unprecedented popularity, it has even become a jade sought after by dignitaries and nobles, which is inseparable from the credit of Cixi.
As we all know, Empress Dowager Cixi loved jadeite, and she made a lifetime of "jadeite powder".
The jade handle is played with in the hand, the jade chopsticks and jade jade bowl are used for eating, and the jade tea cup is used for drinking water... After death, it is also buried with jadeite treasures.
Figure | "Portrait of Empress Dowager Cixi in Civilian Clothes" screen clear
So why would Empress Dowager Cixi, who loved jadeite so much, allow this exquisite jade wrench to fall into the hands of the Grand Eunuch Li Lianying?
Li Lianying's jade wrench was of extraordinary quality, and some people speculated that it was probably from Empress Dowager Cixi's reward.
It is also believed that Li Lianying may have claimed it from a prince, Belle, or a princely minister by virtue of her power.
The most accepted theory is that it is said that this wrench was once the beloved object of Prince Gong, and it was worn on his hand all day long.
One day Prince Gong was playing with the wrench, Li Lianying saw it, and he also wanted to enjoy it, so he told Prince Gong that he wanted to borrow it for a while.
Prince Gong couldn't help him, so he had to say that he would play for a while.
A few days later, Cixi summoned Prince Gong and saw the jade wrench, which she asked to take off and look at.
After reading it, I casually put the book on the case and had no intention of returning it.
Within a few days, Prince Gong saw his beloved object on Li Lianying's thumb.
Figure | From left to right: Prince Gong, Cixi, Li Lianying
Funeral
In 1908, Cixi drove the crane to the west, and Li Lianying knew that she had lost her patron, and left the Forbidden City where she had lived for many years with a huge amount of wealth and hid.
After his death, he was buried in Enjizhuang, west of Beijing, and his tomb covers an area of more than 20 acres, and the burial items are rare treasures.
The wrench was also buried in his tomb.
In 1966, the tomb of Li Lianying in the Liuyi Primary School in Enjizhuang, a western suburb of Beijing, was excavated, and more than 50 small and exquisite funerary items were found in the coffin.
Among them is this crystal clear and verdant emerald wrench.
The | Capital Museum
The emerald wrench was finally transferred to the Capital Museum by the Archaeological Institute for collection, and is now a national first-class cultural relic.
Not to mention whether this green wrench is worth two hundred million, the history of the wrench recorded by the wrench is worth a lot.
After all, there are three big characters in the story of this jade wrench, Cixi, Li Lianying and Prince Gong.
Today, this jadeite is the treasure of the capital museum, and tens of thousands of people come every day for this wrench.