Marco Polo was right to be impressed by Huai-nan and Liang-che. By a mixture of favourable market opportunities, government support and considerably technical ingenuity at least, they recovered a lead for chien over shai in China which was not lost until the nineteenth century.

Truth from his lips prevailed with double sway, / And fools who came to scoff, remained to pray.

The crown was set with six beryls of excellent size and color.

Ekaterina Schulmann, b. 1978