Traditional Chinese Jade Culture and the Ritual of Jade

Traditional Chinese jade culture and the ritual of jade (中国玉文化) elevated jade — the nephrite jade (和田玉) and later jadeite (翡翠) — to a status unmatched by any other material in Chinese culture — prized above gold, silver, and precious stones, jade was imbued with moral and spiritual qualities that made it the supreme symbol of virtue, power, and beauty in Chinese civilization. From Neolithic ritual objects to imperial seals, from burial suits to scholar's pendants, jade permeated every level of Chinese life for over eight thousand years, earning China the epithet "the jade civilization."

Historical Significance of Jade

Jade held supreme importance throughout Chinese history: the "Neolithic jade" (新石器玉器) — the Liangzhu (良渚) and Hongshan (红山) cultures producing ritual jades 5,000-7,000 years ago; the "ritual jades of the Zhou" (周代六瑞) — the six ritual jade forms: bi (璧, disc), cong (琮, tube), gui (圭, tablet), zhang (璋, tablet), hu (琥, tiger), and xuan (璜, arc); the "the meaning of "yu" (玉德) — Confucius's famous comparison of jade to the eleven virtues of the junzi: benevolence, righteousness, wisdom, propriety, music, trust, loyalty, heaven, earth, virtue, and truth; the "imperial jade seals" (玉玺) — the nine imperial seals of the emperor, carved from fine jade; the "nephrite sources" (和田玉) — the Khotan (和田) region of Xinjiang as the primary source of fine nephrite; the "jadeite arrival" (翡翠) — jadeite from Burma (Myanmar) becoming popular from the Ming Dynasty; the "Mogok valley" (缅甸) — the source of the finest jadeite in the world; and the "jade burial" (金缕玉衣) — the jade burial suits sewn with gold thread for emperors, weighing dozens of kilograms.

Symbolism and Uses

Jade symbolism encompassed every domain: the "bi disc" (玉璧) — the round disc with a hole representing heaven and jade's ritual use; the "cong tube" (玉琮) — the square-outside, round-inside cylinder representing earth; the "imperial pendants" (组佩) — elaborate jade hanging sets worn by officials and nobles; the "scholar's ornaments" (文房四宝) — jade brush rests, water droppers, and ornaments for the scholar's desk; the "jade belt" (玉带) — jade belt plaques indicating official rank; the "jade cups" (玉杯) — ritual wine vessels for ancestral offerings; the "jade carvings" (玉雕) — pendants, rings, hairpins, and figures; the "bi discs for the sky" (祭天用璧) — jade used in heaven-worship rituals; the "bagua jade" (八卦玉) — jade carved with the eight trigrams; the "deity figures" (玉神像) — jade representations of deities and immortals; the "funerary jade" (葬玉) — jade placed in tombs to preserve the body; and the "jade as "yu" (玉比喻) — the use of "yu" to describe the finest qualities, as in the phrase "亭亭玉立" (graceful as jade).

Jade Carving Techniques and the Jade Market

Jade carving requires extraordinary skill: the " hardness" (硬度) — nephrite (6-6.5 Mohs) and jadeite (6.5-7 Mohs) require abrasive cutting; the "abrasive technique" (砣玉机) — the traditional rotating wheel with sand abrasive; the "Xuande period techniques" (明代工艺) — the sophisticated carving of the Ming and Qing imperial workshops; the "Su state jade" (苏州玉雕) — the Suzhou school of refined jade carving; the "Yangzhou jade" (扬州玉雕) — famous for large mountainous sculptures; the "Beijing palace carving" (宫廷玉器) — the finest imperial workshop productions; the "contemporary jade market" (现代市场) — the Hetian jade market in Urumqi, the jade market of Yangon; the "jadeite grading" (翡翠分级) — color, transparency, texture, and craftsmanship determining value; the "the finest jade" (极品) — the "imperial green" (帝王绿) jadeite worth more than diamonds by weight; and the "jade as investment" (玉石投资) — jade as both cultural treasure and speculative investment. The word jade appears in thousands of Chinese personal names as a character (玉, 玉).