Abstract:The materials, colors and ages of nine handeddown jade ornaments carved with a scene of spring or autumn hunting in collected in the Shanghai Museum were studied by optical microscopy, laser Raman spectroscopy (LRS), microinfrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and Xray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF) to analyze the distribution of colors, chemical compositions and mineralogical characteristics. The results show that the main mineral component of nine jade samples was tremolite; two of the samples had been artificially dyed, with the dyeing materials being related to beewax. Based on these results combined with archaeological findings and literature, it is suggested that these handeddown jade ornaments carved with a scene of spring or autumn hunting could be dated from Jin to Yuan Dynasty. Furthermore, considering the shapes, decorative patterns, technical characteristics and colors, it is concluded that two of the jade samples with faked colors belonged to Yuan Dynasty. This is an attempt to use both liberal arts and science for the identification and dating of handeddown jades.