an Emperor 'A magnificent piece of jade has been formally presented by Mr. Chang Feng-chui, representative of the' Sinkiang Provincial Government, in Nanking, to President Chiang Kai-shek, who accepted it on behalf of the National Government and subsequently handed it over to the Printing and Casting Bureau to be carved as the official seal of the Government, Hotienthow, where the jade was ound, is noted for all kinds of jade and snow-white jade in particular. It is mot surprising therefore that there should be a legend attached to this kind of jade, and according to the Chinese belief it runs Once upon a time there lived in Hotienchow a lapidary who found a Deautiful piece of a jade one day, and made it into a bracelet for his pretty daughter. His daughter grew to love this bracelet; she never left it off her arm since the day her father gave it to her, and it seemed that she.grew fairer as she continued to wear it. News of this beautiful ornament soon reached the ears of one of the Emperor's favourite concubines, who at once desired to possess it' and asked the Emperor to send some of his men to bring it to her. Aceordingly, the Emperor sent his guards "9 the Japidary's home, whereupon they presented the Imperial order which the lapidary was compelled to: obey, and he told his daughter to take the bracelet from her arm and give it! up to the guards. They discovered however that as the daughter had been-a_ small child when she had been. given' the bracelet and as her arm had meanwhile grown larger. she was unable to take it off. She tried time and time again but it was of Bo use. One of the guards then lost, patience at the delay and, drawing, his sword he cut off the girl's. arm, removed the bracelet and returned with it to the Emperor.
Fortunately, the girl did not die in spite of the loss of her arm; she
when he heard of the tragedy had befallen her, announced betrothed to a young man that he could not possibly marry. The poor girl became very sad but theless determined to avenge Hwrong, and she left her home vise to enter a convent. It pened that that the chief nun was an expert of the well-known "Shiao Ling" fencing. For three years the girl devoted her time to the study of this method and at the and of that time she was as bray and as skilled in foncing.as Hung Hsien herself, (China's most famous heroine).
One night she mysteriously disappeared from the convent and on the following morning both the Emperor and his concubine who had so cruelly taken her bracelet, were found murdered in the Imperial palace. The story is no more than a legend ut i serves to show how highly Jade discovered in Hotienchow is valued by the Chinese people,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.