Jade and Chinese Ritual Civilization: Symbols from Divine Power to Royal Power

Jade's sacred status in Chinese civilization dates back to the Neolithic era. The "Jade Pig-Dragon" unearthed from the 5,000-year-old Hongshan culture, with its coiled form symbolizing cosmic cycles, reflects early beliefs in "communicating with deities through jade." By the Shang and Zhou dynasties, jade evolved from ritual objects to symbols of power. The Rites of Zhou records: "Six jade artifacts are used to worship heaven, earth, and the four directions." The rule of "green bi disks for heaven, yellow cong tubes for earth" established jade's connection to cosmology.

The Han Dynasty's "jade burial suits" epitomized beliefs in jade's immortality. The gold-threaded jade suit of Prince Liu Sheng, excavated from the Mancheng Han tombs, consisted of 2,498 pieces of Hetian jade. Han people believed jade could "preserve the corpse from decay," as recorded in Book of the Later Han: "The jade suit is woven with gold threads, resembling armor." This extravagant burial practice persisted until the Cao Wei era.

Ming and Qing jade carvings blended scholarly aesthetics with imperial grandeur. Ming artisan Lu Zigang invented the "Kunwu knife" technique, carving landscapes and poems like "Hollow as bamboo" on his iconic "Zigang Plaques." Emperor Qianlong commissioned a colossal jade sculpture based on Yu the Great Taming the Floods, quarried from Xinjiang's Miletai Mountain.  Its inscription, "Virtue echoes through eternity," merged hydraulic engineering with imperial ideology.

Inspired by the Qing Dynasty's "Jade Zodiac Axe Pendants" in the Palace Museum, Deerwhisper's "Celestial Hours" jade bracelet features twelve animal zodiac signs carved in Siberian jade. The "Han Eight Cuts" technique outlines creatures, while the clasp mimics Warring States-era dragon-pattern jade pendants, echoing China's traditional calendrical system.