This exhibition provides a detailed look at over a hundred pieces and sets of jasper objects dating from the Qing dynasty (1644-1911) in the museum’s permanent collection. These exquisitely carved jasper works include daily utensils, ornaments, and curios. The displays also include twenty-six blocks of jade rocks quarried from present-day Manas County, Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region. In addition to this exhibit, there is a thorough catalogue of jasper art available for purchase.
  Manas County is situated in the Changji Hui Autonomous Prefecture in northern Xinjiang. Lying to the southern rim of the Dzungar Basin and at the northern foot of the Tianshan Mountains, Manas is a major center of jasper mining and distribution, both domestic and global. Manas jasper is celebrated for its deep green color, fine texture, and dazzling luster and is of the same mineral composition as Canadian jasper. The earliest use of Manas jasper traces back to late Neolithic times, and the earliest mining started in the Qianlong reign (1736-1795) of the Qing dynasty.
  Highlights of the exhibition are the jasper sculpture Pavilions on the Mount of the Immortals, a pair of jasper bowls carved with plants on a backdrop of geometric designs, a jasper brush holder with images from Elegant Gathering in the Western Garden, and a jasper wine vessel carved with a creature-mask.