Why have the earliest ritual jade discs (bi) been found in tombs? The Chinese believed that jade preserved the body from decay constellations and bird and animal footprints. Nice work! You just studied 30 terms! Now up your study game with Learn mode.
The Jade Discs, often called bi discs, are round flat rings created from nephrite by the Liangzhu culture during the late Neolithic Period.
The Chinese believed that jade preserved the body from decay constellations and bird and animal footprints. Nice work! You just studied 30 terms! Now up your study game with Learn mode. YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE...
The Six Ritual Jades originating in pre-history were the bi (a flat disk with a hole in its center), the cong (prismatic tube), the huang (a flat, half-ring pendant), the hu, the flat, bladelike gui, and the zhang. The original names, value and functions of these objects have invited much speculation.
During a war, the loser had to hand over the Jade Disks as a sign of submission to the conqueror, which shows the importance of the Jade stones and that they were not merely ornaments. Some have suggested that the Jade Discs are related to the mysterious story of the Dropa stones , also disc-shaped stones, which supposedly date back 12,000 years ...
The Smithsonian Institute shows a great interest in Jade Discs and has invested a lot into researching them. Currently, they hold a collection of more then 150 of the disks.
In ancient China, dating back to at least 5,000 BC, large stone discs were placed on the bodies of Chinese aristocrats. Their original function still eludes scientists, as does the way in which they were made, considering they were carved out of Jade, an extremely hard rock. Jade is a precious hardstone that is made of different silicate minerals ...
Jade is a precious hardstone that is made of different silicate minerals and is often used to make vases, jewellery and other ornaments. It is usually colourless, but contamination from other materials, such as chrome, normally gives it an emerald greenish colour, and it comes in two main types: nephrite and jadeite.
The stones were place in prominent positions on the body of the deceased, usually near the stomach or the chest, and often contained symbols relating to the sky. The Chinese word for jade is ‘YU’ which means pure, treasure, and noble.
I propose a compromise: prevailing theory is right, the Hongshan and Liangzhu cultures had no metal tools with which to work the discs...and yet the discs were made using metal tools, as the discs themselves suggest. The answer? The discs were relics of a much more ancient, more advanced culture, lost long before the Hongshu period but remembered and revered by them as a "time of the gods"...and at some point they found a great cache of these discs, so important people came to be buried each with a single disc to associate themselves with those gods, or perhaps even serve as a key or pass into the place of the gods.
Stone workers employed jade to make prestigious, beautifully polished versions of utilitarian stone tools, such as axes, and also to make implements with possible ceremonial or protective functions. The status of jade continues throughout Chinese history.
They used two distinct types of ritual jade objects: a disc, later known as a bi, and a tube, later known as a cong. The main types of cong have a square outer section around a circular inner part, and a circular hole, though jades of a bracelet shape also display some of the characteristics of cong. They clearly had great significance, but despite the many theories the meaning and purpose of bi and cong remain a mystery. They were buried in large numbers: one tomb alone had 25 bi and 33 cong. Spectacular examples have been found at all the major archaeological sites.
The principal decoration on cong of the Liangzhu period was the face pattern , which may refer to spirits or deities. On the square-sectioned pieces, like the examples here, the face pattern is placed across the corners, whereas on the bracelet form it appears in square panels. These faces are derived from a combination of a man-like figure and a mysterious beast.
The Neolithic Period, defined as the age before the use of metal, witnessed a transition from a nomadic existence to one of settled farming. People made different pottery and stone tools in their regional communities. Stone workers employed jade to make prestigious, beautifully polished versions of utilitarian stone tools, such as axes, and also to make implements with possible ceremonial or protective functions. The status of jade continues throughout Chinese history. Pottery also reached a high level with the introduction of the potter’s wheel.
They were buried in large numbers: one tomb alone had 25 bi and 33 cong. Spectacular examples have been found at all the major archaeological sites.
We do not know what the true significance of these discs was, but they must have had an important ritual function as part of the burial. This is an exceptionally fine example, because the two faces are very highly polished.
Although they were made at many stages of the Neolithic and early historic period, the origin of the cong in the Neolithic cultures of south-east China has only been recognized in the last thirty years.
The Chinese believed that jade preserved the body from decay.
Containing Buddha's remains, which were divided into eight parts.
According to Chinese legend, Fu Xi's invention of a pictographic writing system was inspired by?
Stone workers employed jade to make prestigious, beautifully polished versions of utilitarian stone tools, such as axes, and also to make implements with possible ceremonial or protective functions. The status of jade continues throughout Chinese history.
They used two distinct types of ritual jade objects: a disc, later known as a bi, and a tube, later known as a cong. The main types of cong have a square outer section around a circular inner part, and a circular hole, though jades of a bracelet shape also display some of the characteristics of cong. They clearly had great significance, but despite the many theories the meaning and purpose of bi and cong remain a mystery. They were buried in large numbers: one tomb alone had 25 bi and 33 cong. Spectacular examples have been found at all the major archaeological sites.
The principal decoration on cong of the Liangzhu period was the face pattern , which may refer to spirits or deities. On the square-sectioned pieces, like the examples here, the face pattern is placed across the corners, whereas on the bracelet form it appears in square panels. These faces are derived from a combination of a man-like figure and a mysterious beast.
They were buried in large numbers: one tomb alone had 25 bi and 33 cong. Spectacular examples have been found at all the major archaeological sites.
We do not know what the true significance of these discs was, but they must have had an important ritual function as part of the burial. This is an exceptionally fine example, because the two faces are very highly polished.
Although they were made at many stages of the Neolithic and early historic period, the origin of the cong in the Neolithic cultures of south-east China has only been recognized in the last thirty years.
The most finely carved discs or bi of the best stone (like the example above) were placed in prominent positions, often near the stomach and the chest of the deceased. Other bi were aligned with the body. Where large numbers of discs are found, usually in small piles, they tend to be rather coarse, made of stone of inferior quality that has been worked in a cursory way.
One is a Western Han Dynasty jade piece that sold for $10,828, while the other is a large yellow jade disc also from the Han Dynasty, with a realized price of approximately $255,000. Lot 1836: An Imperially Inscribed Large White Jade Bi Qing Dynasty, Qianlong Period, Dated to the Jiayin Year (1794), Sotheby’s (April 8, 2010)
So what, exactly, where bi discs used for? While the original function and significance is unknown (hence, their mysteriousness), archaeologists have discovered them buried alongside the deceased upper class, believed to symbolize heaven and the sky, to accompany them in the afterworld. In Neolithic times specifically, they were often placed near the stomach or chest of elite individuals before burial. They were also seen as totems to ward off evil.
Chinese bi discs are flat jade discs with circular holes in the center. In analyzing the bi disc meaning, some historians say it’s a representation of heaven; they’re often found with heaven and earth-like depictions. As a counterpoint symbol, jade congs (straight tubes with circular centers and square outer sections, complete with convex sides), are said to symbolize earth.
Beyond these meaningful motifs, the material of bi discs can also be connected to elite members of ancient societies. Throughout Chinese history, jade has served to represent humans of moral quality, but also one’s rank or class. Jade items like bi discs and guis (bronze Chinese ritual vessels) were often used in ceremonies to honor emperors, kings, dukes, and other noble individuals. Later, during the Zhou dynasty, defeated war leaders gifted victorious leaders of opposition with bi discs to represent submission.
Typically, Neolithic bi discs are not decorated, while those from later periods in Chinese history feature ornate carvings with hexagonal patterns and motifs associated with deities, and the sky and four directions.
Hence, as bi discs were in the hands of—or ceremoniously buried with—the ancient elite, they were often decorated with dragon figures, perhaps in addition to clouds and other sky or heavenly motifs. Chinese bi with two dragons and grain pattern (image via Wikimedia Commons)
Some of the most mysterious and interesting Chinese artifacts produced in this Neolithic period are Chinese bi discs, also called Chinese bi. Typically made using jade and glass, later ...
The first known center is known as the Liangzhu culture (c. 3300 – c. 2200). This centre took place in the Lake Tai District. The jades of this period were primarily small items of personal adornment, such as small discs strung onto necklaces. Typically, the jade was polished on its surface and perforated. Ritual jades and personal ornamental jade of different shapes began to show up during this time period. This religious nature of jade is often evaluated as connections between spirituality and the Neolithic societal structure that jade was produced in.
Six Ritual and Six Ceremonial Jades. See also: Chinese nobility. The Six Ritual Jades originating in pre-history were the bi (a flat disk with a hole in its center), the cong (prismatic tube), the huang (a flat, half-ring pendant), the hu, the flat, bladelike gui, and the zhang.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Chinese jade refers to the jade mined or carved in China from the Neolithic onward. It is the primary hardstone of Chinese sculpture. Although deep and bright green jadeite is better known in Europe, for most of China's history, jade has come in a variety of colors and white "mutton-fat" nephrite was ...
Buttons of jade were utilized to differentiate the various levels of official society. Jade was used to create many utilitarian and ceremonial objects, ranging from indoor decorative items to jade burial suits, reflecting the ancient Chinese belief that jades would confer immortality or prolong life and prevent decay.
Since jade was considered to be rare and strenuous to work with, pieces of jade were minimally changed and scrap pieces were reused in some way. The microstructure especially, with its composition of densely packed fibrous crystals in a felted mass formation, contributed to the mineral's toughness and difficulty in carving. Due to this toughness and unique manufacturing techniques, the jade objects studied suggest an organized labor structure consisting of skilled laborers and an education in the handling of particular tools. Likewise, stylistic features and carving techniques seen throughout different Chinese cultures suggest a fluid transmission of knowledge between cultures rather than a border-bounded knowledge isolating cultures.
Jade became a favorite material for the crafting of Chinese writing materials, such as rests for calligraphy brushes, as well as the mouthpieces of some opium pipes, due to the belief that breathing through jade would bestow longevity upon smokers who used such a pipe.
During Neolithic times, the key known sources of nephrite jade in China for utilitarian and ceremonial jade items were the now depleted deposits in the Ningshao area in the Yangtze River Delta ( Liangzhu culture 3400–2250 BC) and in an area of the Liaoning province in Inner Mongolia ( Hongshan culture 4700 –2200 BC).
During a war, the loser had to hand over the Jade Disks as a sign of submission to the conqueror, which shows the importance of the Jade stones and that they were not merely ornaments. Some have suggested that the Jade Discs are related to the mysterious story of the Dropa stones , also disc-shaped stones, which supposedly date back 12,000 years ...
The Smithsonian Institute shows a great interest in Jade Discs and has invested a lot into researching them. Currently, they hold a collection of more then 150 of the disks.
In ancient China, dating back to at least 5,000 BC, large stone discs were placed on the bodies of Chinese aristocrats. Their original function still eludes scientists, as does the way in which they were made, considering they were carved out of Jade, an extremely hard rock. Jade is a precious hardstone that is made of different silicate minerals ...
Jade is a precious hardstone that is made of different silicate minerals and is often used to make vases, jewellery and other ornaments. It is usually colourless, but contamination from other materials, such as chrome, normally gives it an emerald greenish colour, and it comes in two main types: nephrite and jadeite.
The stones were place in prominent positions on the body of the deceased, usually near the stomach or the chest, and often contained symbols relating to the sky. The Chinese word for jade is ‘YU’ which means pure, treasure, and noble.
I propose a compromise: prevailing theory is right, the Hongshan and Liangzhu cultures had no metal tools with which to work the discs...and yet the discs were made using metal tools, as the discs themselves suggest. The answer? The discs were relics of a much more ancient, more advanced culture, lost long before the Hongshu period but remembered and revered by them as a "time of the gods"...and at some point they found a great cache of these discs, so important people came to be buried each with a single disc to associate themselves with those gods, or perhaps even serve as a key or pass into the place of the gods.