Longshan Jade: Treasures from one of the least studied and most extraordinary neolithic jade eras

By KAKO CRISCI

The cultural landscape of the middle-lower Yellow River valley and coastal areas in the third millennium B.C. has been identified as the cradle of Chinese civilization. It was the home of the legendary Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors period, which commonly signified the birth of Chinese civilization, roughly 4,000-6,000 years ago.

The

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dynastic Jade Gallery
• Release date: Nov 19, 2022
• ISBN: 9798986702896

Book preview

Table Of Contents

Dedication

Acknowledgements

Abstract

Preface

Introduction

The Jade Age

Jade vs. Bronze

Facts About Longshan Jade

Readability of Ancient Jades

Jadeology

Learn. Think. Practice

Part One: The West and the Northwest Region, Huaxi Jade

Section One: Qijia Jade (2,200 B.C.-1,700 B.C.)

1.1. A massive cong

1.2. A slim, tall cong

1.3. A very slim cong

1.4. A stout cong

1.5. Two tube beads

1.6. Three cong-shaped tube beads

1.7. Two large cong-shaped beads

Section Two: Taosi Jade (2,300 B.C.-1,900 B.C.)

2.1. Four-section grouped bi disc.

2.2. Super glossy bi disc.

2.3. Bracelet

2.4. Bracelet

2.5. White jade bi disc A fig 13

2.6. A thin white jade bi disc B fig.14

2.7. A thin white jade with one side uneven one side flat C fig 15

2.8. Green jade cong

2.9. Square small cong

2.10. Cong

2.11. Tube-shaped ring

Section Three: Shimao Jade (2,300 B.C.-1,800 B.C.)

3.1. Shimao deity face

3.2. Shimao fish

3.3. Shimao blade

3.4–6. Shimao rabbits

3.7. Western three-dimensional rabbit tube

Part Two: The Eastern Jade, Huadong jade

Section Four: Dawenkou Jade (4,000B.C.-2,300 B.C.)

4.1. Deity face.

4.2. Ax-shaped ceremonial blade.

4.3. Dawenkou fish.

4.4. Rounded stand.

4.5. Double ring pendant.

4.6. Green jade bi disc.

4.7. White jade bi disc.

Section Five: Shijiahe (3,000 B.C.-1,900 B.C.)

5.1. Deity face.

5.2. Jie crown eagle and deity face pendant.

5.3. Tiger head pendant.

5.4. Flying eagle pendant.

Section Six: Henan Longshan (2,600 B.C.-2,000 B.C.)

6.1. Notched bi disc.

6.2. Thick donut-like bi disc.

6.3. Notched bi disc.

6.4. Super refined, raised ridge lines bi disc.

6.5. Yellow jade disc.

6.6. Cow heads pendant.

6.7. Dragon face ring.

Section Seven: Shandong Longshan (3,000 B.C.-1,900 B.C.)

7.1. ‘Jie" crown ring.

7.2. Open-winged bird pendant.

7.3. Deity face pendant 1.

7.4. Deity face pendant 2.

7.5. Cow heads pendant.

7.6.7. Open work pendants.

7.6. Jie crown pendant.

7.7. Dragons’ faces.

7.8. Shiny cylinder

7.9. Chiyou ring

7.10. Axe with a phoenix and notches

7.11. Ring

7.12. Thumb Ring

7.13. Deity face bead

7.14. Eagle

7.15. Beastly eagle

7.16. Raised cong

7.17.18. Two parallel-lined beads.

7.19. Notched bi disc.

7.20. Small bi disc

7.21. Ceremonial blade with notches

7.22. Notched blade.

7.23. Ceremonial blade

Section Eight: Erlitou Jade (2,000 B.C.-1,600 B.C.)

8.1. Rat: Realistic and Ferocious

8.2. Tiger: Realistic and Powerful

8.3. Frog: Realistic and Lovely

8.4. Rabbit: Realistic and Majestic

8.5. Seahorse: Realistic and Elegant

8.6. Coiled dragon

8.7. Cow head, human body: the Yan Emperor statue.

8.8. Hairpiece with deity face.

8.9. Erlitou openwork bi disc ( 壁 )

8.10. Bi disc decorated with two Kirins.

8.11. Two phoenixes on the top of a deity face.

8.12. Decorated blade.

8.13. Longshan jade Huang.

8.14. Folk art cutting paper-like pendant.

8.15. Deity with phoenixes and dragons.

8.16. Deity Figure with bi disc of dragons on the top of cow head.

References

Iconography

About the Author

Dedication

This book is dedicated to The Diamond Sutra (Jingang boruo boluomijing 金剛般若波羅密經)

Writing this book took more than knowledge and courage, it took faith. The Diamond Sutra gives me the courage and faith.

Acknowledgements

I would like to acknowledge the following for their help, advice, and support, in particular, Hayashi Minao, Deng Shuping, for their inspiration, Jessica Rawson, Carol Michaelson, Margaret Sax, Yang Boda, Guo Dashun, Zhu Naicheng, Xu Hong, and the many scholars, experts, museum curators whose work helped my research, the dedicated collectors who advised and guided my search, my husband Vincent who supports and encourages me through the project, and the many who contributed in bringing this project to life.

I am grateful for their unwavering support and contribution.

Abstract

The cultural landscape of the middle-lower Yellow River valley and coastal areas in the third millennium B.C. has been identified as the cradle of Chinese civilization. It was the home of the legendary Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors period, which commonly signified the birth of Chinese civilization, roughly 4,000-6,000 years ago.

The Central Plains Region, not too far away from the first dynasty, Xia (2,100-1,600 B.C.), was also a historic territory of the Longshan era (Early Longshan 3,000-2,600 B.C., Late Longshan 2,600-1,900 B.C.) and was an essential component of both primordial and prehistoric civilization. Legendary mythologies derived from there taught people how to ignite a fire, cultivate farmlands, build houses, use herb medicines, establish a complex political organization, and possibly, write and count.

The 1980s saw additional discoveries of the Hongshan Culture in the northeast and the Liangzhu Culture in the southeast, providing evidence for scholars to further trace the origins of Chinese civilization. Since then, there have been debates concerning the veracity of the old idea that China’s Central Plains were the sole cradle of the country’s civilization. Nonetheless, the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors were still believed as the direct common ancestors of the Chinese.

Ancient jade was crucial to the development of society throughout the Longshan period. In addition to being used in religious rituals and as a material for sculpting statues of important political and social figures, jade was also considered a conduit to the gods. The Jade Renaissance had arrived. Occurring between the Stone Age and the Bronze Age, there is no other country or culture in antiquity that can match China’s Jade Age.

This is the first English-language book dedicated to the Neolithic jade artifacts known as Longshan Jade, and it features more than eighty-one images and photographs of these magnificent pieces of art. Along with detailed background, it showcases the exquisite craftsmanship and aesthetic value of Longshan jade from the heyday of jade culture in China and introduces it to the West. Splitting the area in half, the western region is home to the Qijia, Taosi, and Shimao Neolithic cultures while the eastern region is home to the other five major Neolithic civilizations of the region (Dawenkou, Shijiahe, Henan Longshan, Shandong Longshan, and Erlitou). Although Dawenkou is a predecessor of Longshan and Erlitou is a descendant of Longshan, by arranging the jade cultures from the same region successively and describing the personalities, social roles, and cultural significance of those Neolithic jade artifacts, it not only provides readers with the most recent research from reputable scholars but also offers some general guidelines on how to read the Neolithic jades from different regions. By dissecting each piece’s production process in minute detail, the author provides not only a means by which readers can learn to recognize a work of genius but also, by drawing parallels to modern-day globalization, evidence of the constant cultural exchanges that characterize the Neolithic period.

Preface

The Chinese civilization is one of the oldest persistent civilizations in the world. Its longevity can be seen, in part, in the pervasiveness of jade in its traditional practices. Jade is the only material that has consistently reflected the 8,000 years of Chinese history through its many historical art forms, from the Neolithic period to the present day. In the Chinese cultural tradition, jade serves as both a mirror and a river.

Neolithic cultures rose and fell, dynasties changed, and, from time to time, foreign influences conquered the homeland. Chinese culture always accepted it, took it in stride, and merged these influences into the Chinese culture, just as jade did. Jade absorbs all its surroundings and, in the process, makes itself even richer in beauty. Nonetheless, the jade of the past and the ancient artwork carved into it will remain unchanged for the rest of time.

Jade is central to China’s culture. Surprisingly, ancient jade has never been seriously studied until recently. Only a handful of documents relating to jade remain from the dynastic time. The Gu Yu Tu Pu (古玉 圖譜) (Illustrated Description of Ancient Jade) is one of the earliest and most comprehensive texts documenting jade. It was written during the Song Dynasty and recorded the jade collection at the court of the Song emperor. It contains nine sections that catalog hundreds of different kinds of jade. This invaluable book was published again during the Qing Dynasty, Qianlong period.

Even earlier, the Kao Gu Tu (考古圖), written by Lu Dalin in 1092 A.D. during the Song Dynasty, had inventoried an extensive collection of antique objects but only with a mention of a few jades. The Wushi Yin Pu (吳氏印 譜), written in 1335 by Wuxi during the Yuan Dynasty, documented less than 30 pieces. Toward the very end of the Qing Dynasty, the Gu Yu Tu Kao (古玉圖考) or Illustrations of Ancient Jade, published by Wu Dacheng, listed only 200 pieces. Documentation of jade from the last 1,000 years is indeed minimal. Even in the recent 20th century, archeologists placed their focus on bronze instead of jade. Authors such as Guo Baojun, who published Gu Yu Xin Quan in 1949, and Japanese scholar Hayashi Minao established their reputation studying bronze and turned their interest toward jade only later in life. In Taiwan, Li Ji, respected as the Father of Chinese archeology, was also the mentor and teacher of Deng Shuping, curator at the Taiwan Palace museum. In 1970, as he was in his mid-seventies, he began researching jade. Deng Shuping soon took over the task and became the head of the jade research program at the museum. The Taiwan Palace museum started categorizing jade by dynasties rather than function for the last thirty years. Deng Shuping, Cai Qingliang, and other scholars have done an outstanding job reintroducing jade to the world.

In mainland China, the Communist regime took over in 1949. During the Cultural Revolution, countless antique art objects, including jade, were destroyed. Colleges were closed, forcing researchers and scholars to be sent to the countryside to do farm work. As things settled down in the 1980s, some scholars started publishing a few articles on jade again. Xia Nai, who was by then in his mid-seventies, published two papers in 1983: Shang Dynasty Jade categories, its name and usage and Han Dynasty Jade. Another famous scholar, Fei Xiaotong, started to realize the significant importance of jade in Chinese culture in 1999, but he was already eighty-nine years old. Yang Boda published Jade in 1986, along with many other books, in his late sixties.

Outside mainland China, from the 1950s to the 1980s, historical Chinese art, including jade, was studied