QING DYNASTY, 18TH/19TH CENTURY

The swimming fish design was a very popular subject-matter among jade carvings of the early Qing period. This auspicious imagery is symbolic of the mythical legend of the carp reaching the upper courses of the Yellow River and leaping up the rapids at Dragon Gate where it transforms into a dragon. This feat is compared to success in the state examinations and the transformation from carp to dragon symbolising a promotion to the highest rank as an official.