Carved soapstone figure of Jiang Ziya, also known as Jiang Taigong (Grand Duke Jiang), standing on a giant fish with a dragon head. He dresses in a long robe and holds a triangular flag in his right hand that is incised with a Chinese character "ling" (command). The figure has a hole in its base, which fixes onto a metal peg on the dragon fish's back. The dragon fish is a separate piece of stone. Jiang Ziya was a military strategist in the Western Zhou dynasty (1027-771 BC). His association with fish is due to his unusual way of fishing, in which he only used a straight hook with no bait. Everyone was teasing him but he ignored all the criticism and finally caught a big fish. He also found a military classic, Art of War, inside its stomach. His story later became a popular Chinese saying or Xiehouyu: "Jiang taigong diao yu, yuan zhe shang gou", literally translated as 'When Grand Duke Jiang goes fishing, he catches those who are willing to swallow the hook themselves.'
