Jade Culture
Introduction
Jade (Yu in Chinese
pinyin) was defined as beautiful stones
by Xu Zhen (about 58-147) in Shuo Wen
Jie Zi, the first Chinese dictionary.
Jade is generally classified into soft
jade (nephrite) and hard jade (jadeite).
Since China only had the soft jade until
jadeite was imported from Burma during
the Qing dynasty (1271-1368), jade
traditionally refers to the soft jade so
it is also called traditional jade.
Jadeite is called Feicui in Chinese.
Feicui is now more popular and valuable
than the soft jade in China.
The history of jade
is as long as the Chinese civilization.
Archaeologists have found jade objects
from the early Neolithic period (about
5000 BC), represented by the Hemudu
culture in Zhejian Province, and from
the middle and late Neolithic period,
represented by the Hongshan culture
along the Lao River, the Longshan
culture along the Yellow River, and the
Liangzhu culture in the Tai Lake region.
Jade has been ever more popular till
today.
The Chinese love jade
because of not only its beauty, but also
more importantly its culture, meaning
and humanity, as Confucius (551 BC - 479
BC) said there are 11 De (virtue) in
jade. The following is the translation
(don't know the translator):
"The wise have
likened jade to virtue. For them, its
polish and brilliancy represent the
whole of purity; its perfect compactness
and extreme hardness represent the
sureness of intelligence; its angles,
which do not cut, although they seem
sharp, represent justice; the pure and
prolonged sound, which it gives forth
when one strikes it, represents music.
Its color represents loyalty; its
interior flaws, always showing
themselves through the transparency,
call to mind sincerity; its iridescent
brightness represents heaven; its
admirable substance, born of mountain
and of water, represents the earth. Used
alone without ornamentation it
represents chastity. The price that the
entire world attaches to it represents
the truth. To support these comparisons,
the Book of Verse says: "When I think of
a wise man, his merits appear to be like
jade."
Thus jade is really
special in Chinese culture, also as the
Chinese saying goes "Gold has a value;
jade is invaluable."
Because jade stands
for beauty, grace and purity, it has
been used in many Chinese idioms or
phrases to denote beautiful things or
people, such as Yu Jie Bing Qing (pure
and noble), Ting Ting Yu Li (fair, slim
and graceful) and Yu Nv (beautiful
girl). The Chinese character Yu is often
used in Chinese names.
Jade Stories
There are Chinese
stories about jade. The two most famous
stories are He Shi Zhi Bi (Mr. He and
His Jade) and Wan Bi Gui Zhao (Jade
Returned Intact to Zhao). Bi also means
jade. He Shi Zhi Bi is a story about the
suffering of Mr. He when he presented
his raw jade to the kings again and
again. The raw jade was eventually
recognized as an invaluable jade and was
named after Mr. He by Wenwang, the king
of the Chu State (about 689 BC). Wan Bi
Gui Zhao is a follow-up story of the
famous jade. The king of the Qin State,
the most powerful state during the
Warring States Period (475-221 BC),
tempted to exchange the jade from the
Zhao State using his 15 cities, but he
failed. The jade was returned to the
Zhao State safely. Thus jade is not only
invaluable, but also the symbol of power
in the ancient time.
And it is interesting
to note that the Supreme Deity of Taoism
has the name, Yuhuang Dadi (the Jade
Emperor).
Jade was made into
sacrificial vessel, tools, ornaments,
utensils and many other items. There
were ancient music instruments made out
of jade, such as jade flute, yuxiao (a
vertical jade flute) and jade chime.
Jade was also mysterious to the Chinese
in the ancient time so jade wares were
popular as sacrificial vessels and were
often buried with the dead. To preserve
the body of the dead, Liu Sheng, the
ruler of the Zhongshan State (113 BC)
was buried in the jade burial suit
composed of 2,498 pieces of jade, sewn
together with gold thread.
Jade culture is very
rich in China. We have only touched the
surface of it. In conclusion, jade
symbolizes beauty, nobility, perfection,
constancy, power, and immortality in
Chinese culture. |
