Zoo-Anthropomorphic Jade Earring

Invited by Taiwanese friends, we were treated to a warm welcome at the "Flying Teahouse." Thanks to this unique teahouse—originally built for a special project and later relocated—and the deep hospitality of our friends, it was a genuinely wonderful, one-of-a-kind experience.

During our conversation, our host shared stories about various cultural treasures of Taiwan, which was how we first learned about the zoo-anthropomorphic jade earring. These ornaments, fashioned from Taiwanese jade (nephrite), feature a distinct composition: two figures standing side by side with hands on hips and legs wide apart, bearing an animal resembling a cat, pig, or deer atop their heads. While zoomorphic figures combining humans and beasts exist all across the globe, it was, of course, our first time encountering a design like this. And as fate would have it, Taiwan's most famous zoo-anthropomorphic jade earring—excavated from the Beinan Site in Taitung in 1984 and designated a National Treasure in 2012—features atop the two figures a beast that looks unmistakably like a clouded leopard! This celebrated artifact is housed in the National Museum of Prehistory in Taitung and even serves as the museum's official logo as its defining treasure.

Hearing this, we paused, puzzled. Just before visiting the Flying Teahouse, we had spent hours at that very museum, carefully exploring every corner of the exhibition halls. Somehow, we had managed to miss it entirely!

Wildcats are never easy to spot.