Chinese jade

The earliest examples

The earliest examples of jade from the lower Yangtze River (Chang Jiang) region appear in the latter phases of the Majiabang culture (c. 5100–3900 bce) and continue into the 4th–3rd millennia bce in the Songze and Qingliangang cultures of that region. Remarkably sophisticated jade pieces appear after 2500 bce in the Liangzhu culture of southern Jiangsu and northern Zhejiang provinces (c. 3400–2200 bce), many with an apparent lack of wear and practical usage that suggests a primarily ceremonial function. These include the first examples of the flat, perforated bi disk (with a hole in the centre), which became the symbol of heaven in later times, and of the cong, a tube with a square exterior and a cylindrical hollow exterior. These two items remained part of the Chinese imperial paraphernalia until the early 20th century. The precise meaning of the cong, as well as its possible association with astronomical sighting or geomantic site selection, and its conjunction of yin (square, earth, female) and yang (circular, heaven, male) features remain unclear. Also present at this time, in the Liangzhu culture and, in Shandong province, the Longshan culture, are ceremonial gui and zhang blades and axes, as well as an increasing variety of ornamental arc-shaped and circular jade pendants, necklaces, and bracelets (often in animal form), together with the significant appearance of mask decoration; all these forms link the Neolithic jades to those of the subsequent Shang period.

The Shang dynasty (c. 1600–1046 bce)

In the Shang dynasty and particularly at Anyang, the craft of jade carving made a notable advance. Ceremonial weapons and fittings for bronze weapons were carved from jade; ritual jades included the bi, cong, and symbols of rank. Plaques and dress ornaments were carved from thin slabs of jade, but there are also small figurines, masks, and birds and animals carved in the round, some of these perhaps representing the earliest examples of mingqi (“spirit vessels”), artistic figures substituted for live victims buried in order to serve the deceased.

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The Zhou dynasty (1046–256 bce)

In the Zhou, production of jade bi, cong, and other Shang ritual forms was continued and their use systematized. Differently shaped sceptres were used for the ranks of the nobility and as authority for mobilizing troops, settling disputes, declaring peace, and so on. At burial, the seven orifices of the body were sealed with jade plugs and plaques. Stylistically, Zhou dynasty jades at first continued Shang traditions, but then, just as the ritual bronzes did, they turned toward looser, less-systematic designs by middle Zhou times, with zoomorphic decor transformed into abstract meander patterns. This breakdown of formal structure continued to the end of the dynasty.

The introduction of iron tools and harder abrasives in the Dong (Eastern) Zhou led to a new freedom in carving in the round. Ornamental jades, chiefly in the form of sword and scabbard fittings, pendants, and adornment for clothing, were fashioned into a great variety of animals and birds, chiefly from flat plaques no more than a few millimetres thick.

Song dynasty (960–1279)

Given the archaizing fashion of the Song, jades of this period are often difficult to detect. Tombs of the Five Dynasties (907–960) and Song (960–1279) have yielded jades that tend to confirm the view that adaptation of the form of ancient vessels, ritual objects, plaques, belt hooks, and ornaments was particularly common, as well as the view that the styles of the Warring States and Han (206 bce–220 ce) were much admired. As the technique of jade carving had changed little in the interval, these are hard to distinguish from genuine archaic jades except by a somewhat playful elegance and a tendency to combine shapes and decoration not found together on ancient pieces. Jades in archaic styles thereafter were often inspired by illustrations in catalogs rather than by a study of genuine antiques.

Qing dynasty (1644–1911/12)

China directly controlled the Central Asian jade-yielding regions of Hotan and Yarkand between about 1760 and 1820, during which time much fine nephrite was sent to Beijing for carving. Jadeite from Myanmar (Burma) reached the capital from the second quarter of the 18th century, and chromite- or graphite-flecked “spinach jade” from the Baikal region of Siberia was imported in the 19th century. The finest Qing dynasty jade carving is often assigned to the reign of Qianlong, but carved jade is difficult to date, and some high-quality pieces in the Qianlong style have been made since 1950 in the Handicraft Research Institute in Beijing. Typical of what is considered of Qianlong date are vases with lids and chains carved from a single block, vessels in antique bronze shapes with pseudo-archaic decoration, fairy mountains, and brush pots for the scholar’s desk.