Description: Jade 'turtle' amulet - China, probably Shang Dynasty, circa 1800-1100 BC, Henan Province,
whitish jade with brown inclusions and veining, top with archaic ornamental decoration, smooth underside, round drilling to centre of the body, c.7x3,8cm, weight c.74g, the turtle (gui) belongs in China together with the dragon (long), the phoenix (fenghuang) and the quilin to the ''Four Divine Creatures'', symbollicaly it represents considered the universe, according to an old myth when the pillar supporting the heavens was damaged due to a violent feud between gods, the creator goddess Nüwa, who molded humans from clay, pittied them all and used the four legs of a giant turtle to form new pillars to support the sky. But she didn't do it perfectly because the unequal length of the legs made the sky tilt. The reason that western China is mountainous and the east lower is because she used the longer legs of the tortoise to support the west and the shorter ones for the east