The Ch'ing Dynasty, during the reign of Emperor Ch'ien-lung, witnessed an unprecedented growth in the art of jade carving, and it is generally accepted that the Emperor himself played a key role in this development. However, some scholars consider prevailing styles of jade carving of the period a reflection of Emperor Ch'ien-lung's personal aesthetic taste and thus, a topic worthy of re-investigation. Yet, it is evident in the Emperor's poetry that he loathed the fashionable contemporary jade styles that were not in line with the antiquarianism characteristic of the works of court artisans. He branded the new styles as commonplace and vulgar, and even went so far as to consider such creations as a "debacle" for the development of jade. An examination of Emperor Ch'ien-lung's poetic works and his critical remarks on and descriptions of the new styles leads us to the belief that the had organized his thoughts to conclude four different patterns existed. They were "an ingeniously tricky pattern of extra carving and assemblage", "an overly elaborate pattern of cut flowers and assembled leaves", "catering to a stingy pattern of form at the expense of quality", and "a painted pattern of landscape, figures, birds and flowers et. Al. imitation". The Emperor considered the former three patterns common and vulgar, not worthy of viewing; their existence and popularity only confirmed this "debacle". The last pattern was considered somewhat elegant and interesting, its production seen as a spontaneous development in the opposite direction. Apart from textual accounts, examples of the new carvings are discussed in the article to illustrate the features of the popular styles. The very existence of the new patterns alludes to the limited power of intervention Ch'ien-lung had in the stylistic direction of jade craftsmanship. The artifacts did not come about to fulfill the requirements of the court, but to satisfy trends found outside the imperial palace. As a result, the direction jade craftsmanship took was swayed by the market condition of the period. In this context, commercial considerations, production costs, and other elements along the same line, had become dominant factors in jade production. This essay further examines the raw material, prices, and technology for jade within the confined of the civil society of the period. To present a clear picture of the environment in which jade artifacts of the fashionable styles and new styles were developed, the author has turned to the Ch'ing Veritable Records and the Grand Council Archives in the Museum's collection for information. Apart from sternly worded critiques, Emperor Ch'ien-lung also initiated specific methods to counter the "debacle". Being an advocate of antiquarianism, he promoted the practice of using examples of ancient bronze and jade artifacts from the imperial palace collection as a source of inspiration in the production of contemporary jade carvings. The National Palace Museum's collection boasts a rich array of artifacts bearing the marks of "The Great Ch'ing Emperor Ch'ien-lung's archaic design", "Ch'ien-lung's archaic motif", and a wide assortment of works in similar styles. By analyzing their form and decor, and by comparing these works against prototypes to uncover the key pints of this imitation and the actual degree of resemblance one tends to believe the purpose of Emperor Ch'ien-lung's advocacy for the antiquarian style was two fold. First, to display imperial power and achievement and, more importantly, to show that he was indeed a literati with refined aesthetic sensibilities.