Jade
Since the beginning of the Chinese civilisation, the Chinese people have revered jade more than anything else. The Chinese revere jade as the embodiment of virtue. The philosopher Confucius (551-479 BC) also equated the attributes of jade with virtues: its polish represented purity; its hardness, intelligence; its angles, justice; the sound it makes when struck, music; its colour, loyalty; its visible flaws, sincerity; its brightness, heaven; its substance, the earth; its simplicity, chastity; and its value, truth.
In pre-historical Neolithic China (Hongshan, Liangzhu Cultures, 4th to 5th century BC) and early pre-Qin dynasty periods, jade had been reserved for the divines, thus it was mainly used for ritual and ceremonial functions. The divine use of jade transited from this early period to the latter dynastic period when beautifully carved jade were made for the imperial courts and ruling class such as superbly carved jade pendants and sword fittings. Jade was also the precious stone dedicated for the afterlife. The best example was the famous Han Dynasty funereally jade suits. Interestingly, some exceedingly rare GF Jade Collection objects from the Shang Dynasty period feature early ancient writing script (the oracle script). These writings form part of the rare historical record of these early periods in Chinese civilisation.
In the latter period, after the Han Dynasty (206 BC – 202AD), jade has been popularized among the rich commoners, although its patron remained largely the ruling class and imperial courts. However, early dynasty period (Shang, Zhou, Spring Autumn, Warring States, Han) saw the creation of the best and most beautiful jade objects ever made in the history of jade making in China. In this regards, the GF Jade Collection is a very unique and important collection of ancient Chinese jade art as it consists of mainly jade objects dating from this golden period. Indeed, GF Jade Collection is the most important and the largest collection (with more than two thousand objects) among the five GF Collections in the Foundation. The breadth, depth and significant of the GF Jade Collection make it possibly the largest and most important of ancient Chinese jade collection in the world.
In this section, one will appreciate the extraordinary beauty of early pre-Qin dynasty jade objects that truly reflect its historical and artistic values, occupying a most special place in the Chinese civilisation and culture that span over five thousand years.
自古以来，玉的重要性对中国人来说是至尊的。中国人视玉为美德的化身，旣君子比德如玉。儒家的创始人孔子（公元前551-479）也将玉来和人的美德相比：玉温厚而又润泽，就好比仁；填密而又坚实，就好比智；有棱角而不伤人，就好比义；玉佩垂而下坠，就好比礼；轻轻一敲，玉声清脆悠扬，就好比动听的音乐；既不因其优点而掩盖其缺点，也不因其缺点而掩盖其优点，就好比人的忠诚；光彩晶莹，表里如一，就好比人的言而有信。
中華文化早期的新石器时代（红山，良渚文化 – 公元前4至5世纪），玉雕器一直是保留给統治者及神明，作礼仪用途的。从前秦王朝时期直至明清时代，玉器从早期主要供神明及礼仪用途外，轉变成皇室和统治阶级甚至是高官富民所喜愛的珍品，如雕刻精美的佩件和剑具，以及著名的西汉时期刘胜金缕玉衣等。
中国古代王朝（商，周，春秋，战国，秦，汉）也是中国玉器制作史上最輝煌的时代。金火藏玉器收藏主要的藏品都是先秦时代最精美，华丽的玉器。其中金火藏玉器收藏包括了一些非常罕見及带有甲骨文的商代玉雕。从历史和文化的角度来看，这类有带早期文字纪錄的玉雕是最独特和最有历史价值的。其实，金火藏玉器收藏有超过兩千多件珍品，也是金火堂五个收藏集中最重要，规模最大的收藏。这收藏也可能是世界上最大及最重要的中国古玉文物收藏之一。
