This Chiu Yu Pi Hsieh, or jade winged beast, is a masterpiece of the Han dynasty. With its chest thrust forward, it appears to be walking, and its sharp claws, two horns and wings, and mouth agape, make it look dangerous and sinister. Even though it has lost its luster through being in the ground for so many years, the form is still refined and elegant.
During the western Han dynasty, most images of the beast were carved in bronze, but craftsmen started to use stone in the eastern Han dynasty. A literal translation of Pi Hsieh means avoiding evil, and sometimes the legendary beast is depicted with horns and sometimes without. Because in Chinese tradition such legendary animals as dragons and phoenixes had wings, and since the Pi Hsieh is the protecting god of the dead, the masters in jade usually fashioned it with wings. Even today, it is customary for Chinese people to send their friends a carved miniature jade Pi Hsieh as a gift to ward off evil.