The sun has departed letting the chill set in once again. At Tsinghua's Zijing dormitories the central heating has been shut off and we are left to our own defense against the early April cold. I sit huddled under the blankets for warmth surfing the net and trying to do work.

During this idleness I have discovered something much worth sharing with everyone who has an interest in ancient Chinese culture.

It is a piece written by Confucious on the 11 virtues of Jade, which probably contributes to why the Chinese love Jade so much...

The wise have likened jade to virtue. For them, its polish and brilliancy represent the whole of purity; its perfect compactness and extreme hardness represent the sureness of intelligence; its angles, which do not cut, although they seem sharp, represent justice; the pure and prolonged sound which it gives forth when one strikes it represents music.

Its color represents loyalty; its interior flaws, always showing themselves through the transparency, call to mind sincerity; its iridescent brightness represents heaven; its admirable substance, born of mountain and of water, represents the earth. Used alone without ornamentation it represents chastity. The price which all the world attaches to it represents the truth. To support these comparisons, the Book of Verse says: "When I think of a wise man, his merits appear to be like jade." And that is why the wise set so great store by jade . . .

-- Confucius 

A beautiful piece by Confucious and just as beautifully translated...

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