Britannica Sources used in this answer

How were ivory hu tablets used by Chinese officials?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Inupiat shaman's figure. — ivory carving Kinugumiut Inupiat incised walrus ivory shaman's figure, c. 1890; in the National Museum of the American Indian, George Gustav Heye Center, Smithsonian Institution, New York City.

In ancient China, ivory hu tablets served as essential tools and symbols of status for court officials throughout several dynasties. Initially, during the Zhou dynasty, these narrow tablets were used as memorandum tablets and were typically worn as girdle pendants.1

By the Han dynasty, the tablets evolved into formal marks of rank and were required as part of official dress. As time progressed into the Tang and Song dynasties, the tablets became significantly elongated. In this later capacity, they functioned both as a sceptre—signifying the official's high court rank—and as a practical writing surface for recording memoranda. This tradition of carrying hu tablets as a mark of status persisted until the fall of the Ming dynasty in the 17th century.1