Narrative arc set in stone
9 months, 3 weeks ago

Narrative arc set in stone

China Daily  

Jade huang in the shape of a doubleheaded dragon, from the Warring States Period. 'With the help of jade, people who inhabited the vast area of prehistoric China had engaged in spiritual and artistic exchanges, exchanges that would eventually allow them to acquire a common cultural identity without which the notion of China would not have existed," says Teng Shu-ping, a leading scholar of ancient Chinese jade. Well studied, they are long held by many Chinese archaeologists as the ancestors for the jade cong found in other, later cultures, including Qijia, a late Neolithic to early Bronze Age culture centered around the upper Yellow River region in today's Gansu province in northwestern China. For one, jade cong pieces have also been discovered in Miaodigou culture, which existed between 3500 and 2900 BC in Shaanxi province, northwestern China." Asked whether this was because the warm, humid weather of eastern China was more of a haven for animals, while the western highlands lent their inhabitants an unhindered panorama, making them feel closer to the heavens, Teng says that, although this might be the case, she would generally refrain from saying so, since jade and pottery items produced in the western regions around this time also featured a variety of animal images.

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History of this topic

A tradition set in stone
1 month ago

A tradition set in stone

China Daily  

Jade, deeply rooted in culture, continues to fascinate as it embodies myth and reality, Zhao Xu reports. For Chinese people, there's one particular type of stone that holds a tender place in their collective memory: jade. Since its discovery millennia ago — with the earliest traces of jade use in China dating back nearly 9,000 years — it has been …

A tradition set in stone
1 month ago

A tradition set in stone

China Daily  

Jade, deeply rooted in culture, continues to fascinate as it embodies myth and reality, Zhao Xu reports. For Chinese people, there's one particular type of stone that holds a tender place in their collective memory: jade. Since its discovery millennia ago — with the earliest traces of jade use in China dating back nearly 9,000 years — it has been …

A tradition set in stone
1 month ago

A tradition set in stone

China Daily  

Jade, deeply rooted in culture, continues to fascinate as it embodies myth and reality, Zhao Xu reports. For Chinese people, there's one particular type of stone that holds a tender place in their collective memory: jade. Since its discovery millennia ago — with the earliest traces of jade use in China dating back nearly 9,000 years — it has been …

Mysterious 5,000-year-old jade dragons could reveal origins of Chinese civilisation
2 months, 2 weeks ago

Mysterious 5,000-year-old jade dragons could reveal origins of Chinese civilisation

The Independent  

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Archaeologists have unearthed over 100 strange Stone Age jade artefacts in …

Archeologists make 5,000-year-old discovery while excavating an ancient burial site
2 months, 2 weeks ago

Archeologists make 5,000-year-old discovery while excavating an ancient burial site

Daily Mail  

A 5,000-year-old discovery made at an ancient burial site in Northern China could finally reveal how Chinese civilizations formed. Archaeologists found three dragons among 100 jade relics at an ancient burial site in China The relics were found beneath a circular tomb at the Yuanbaoshan burial site The team determined that the Hongshan civilization may have exchanged artistic ideas with …

Over 100 Neolithic jade relics unearthed
3 months ago

Over 100 Neolithic jade relics unearthed

China Daily  

Updated: Sep 23, 2024 By Fang Aiqing in Chifeng, Inner Mongolia, and YUAN HUI in Hohhot China Daily Jade artifacts used in sacrifice are unearthed in July at the Yuanbaoshan archaeological site. Three jade dragons of different colors and sizes, and each around 5,000 years old, were among the more than 100 jade relics of the Hongshan Culture recently unearthed …

Narrative arc set in stone
9 months, 2 weeks ago

Narrative arc set in stone

China Daily  

Jade huang in the shape of a doubleheaded dragon, from the Warring States Period. 'With the help of jade, people who inhabited the vast area of prehistoric China had engaged in spiritual and artistic exchanges, exchanges that would eventually allow them to acquire a common cultural identity without which the notion of China would not have existed," says Teng Shu-ping, …

Narrative arc set in stone
9 months, 2 weeks ago

Narrative arc set in stone

China Daily  

Jade huang in the shape of a doubleheaded dragon, from the Warring States Period. 'With the help of jade, people who inhabited the vast area of prehistoric China had engaged in spiritual and artistic exchanges, exchanges that would eventually allow them to acquire a common cultural identity without which the notion of China would not have existed," says Teng Shu-ping, …

Narrative arc set in stone
9 months, 3 weeks ago

Narrative arc set in stone

China Daily  

Jade cong from Qijia culture. "As to bi, although they were much more ubiquitous during the period, the bigger ones that were clearly ritualistic rather than ornamental seem to have made their first appearance in Miaodigou culture around 3500 BC, where they were buried separately from the jade cong." "The two were later combined in Qijia culture, clearly serving as …

Narrative arc set in stone
9 months, 3 weeks ago

Narrative arc set in stone

China Daily  

Jade huang in the shape of a doubleheaded dragon, from the Warring States Period. 'With the help of jade, people who inhabited the vast area of prehistoric China had engaged in spiritual and artistic exchanges, exchanges that would eventually allow them to acquire a common cultural identity without which the notion of China would not have existed," says Teng Shu-ping, …

Narrative arc set in stone
9 months, 3 weeks ago

Narrative arc set in stone

China Daily  

Jade disc from Qijia culture. Reflecting on the symbolism of the iconic Liangzhu jade cong, Fang believes that they amount to an enunciation of "the Liangzhu people's view of the universe". "While the cong-style bracelets continued to exist toward the end of the Liangzhu culture, the Liangzhu jade cong gradually stopped being pieces of ornamental art to take on other, …

Narrative arc set in stone
9 months, 3 weeks ago

Narrative arc set in stone

China Daily  

Jade hu in the shape of a tiger, dated to between 2200 and 1800 BC. "From the Yellow River Basin to the Yangtze River Basin and then the Pearl River Basin in southern China and continental Southeast Asia including Vietnam, the jade zhang has proven as effective a traveler as other types of ritual jade, most notably cong and bi," …

Lore of the rings
9 months, 3 weeks ago

Lore of the rings

China Daily  

A jade disc with grooved concentric circles from the Shang Dynasty. Exquisite jade discs and rings help illustrate how ancient Chinese civilizations learned to shape intractable natural resources, and in doing so, developed a thriving culture that still resonates today, Zhao Xu reports. If there's one type of item that embodies the ancient Chinese jade story, it could well be …

Lore of the rings
9 months, 3 weeks ago

Lore of the rings

China Daily  

A jade disc with grooved concentric circles from the Shang Dynasty. Exquisite jade discs and rings help illustrate how ancient Chinese civilizations learned to shape intractable natural resources, and in doing so, developed a thriving culture that still resonates today, Zhao Xu reports. If there's one type of item that embodies the ancient Chinese jade story, it could well be …

Narrative arc set in stone
9 months, 3 weeks ago

Narrative arc set in stone

China Daily  

Jade huang in the shape of a doubleheaded dragon, from the Warring States Period. 'With the help of jade, people who inhabited the vast area of prehistoric China had engaged in spiritual and artistic exchanges, exchanges that would eventually allow them to acquire a common cultural identity without which the notion of China would not have existed," says Teng Shu-ping, …

Lore of the rings
9 months, 3 weeks ago

Lore of the rings

China Daily  

A jade disc with grooved concentric circles from the Shang Dynasty. Exquisite jade discs and rings help illustrate how ancient Chinese civilizations learned to shape intractable natural resources, and in doing so, developed a thriving culture that still resonates today, Zhao Xu reports. If there's one type of item that embodies the ancient Chinese jade story, it could well be …

Lore of the rings
9 months, 3 weeks ago

Lore of the rings

China Daily  

A jade disc with grooved concentric circles from the Shang Dynasty. Exquisite jade discs and rings help illustrate how ancient Chinese civilizations learned to shape intractable natural resources, and in doing so, developed a thriving culture that still resonates today, Zhao Xu reports. If there's one type of item that embodies the ancient Chinese jade story, it could well be …

Paved with jade
10 months, 3 weeks ago

Paved with jade

China Daily  

A jade tiger from the Guo state burial ground, Western Zhou Dynasty. During construction work in 1968, the grand burial chamber of a Han Dynasty vassal king named Liu Sheng was discovered in Mancheng county, Hebei province, 700 kilometers from the Guo state burial ground. Yet standing head and shoulders above them all is a jade shroud composed of more …

Paved with jade
10 months, 3 weeks ago

Paved with jade

China Daily  

A jade tiger from the Guo state burial ground, Western Zhou Dynasty. During construction work in 1968, the grand burial chamber of a Han Dynasty vassal king named Liu Sheng was discovered in Mancheng county, Hebei province, 700 kilometers from the Guo state burial ground. Yet standing head and shoulders above them all is a jade shroud composed of more …

Research reveals clues to jade mystery
11 months, 1 week ago

Research reveals clues to jade mystery

China Daily  

A jade turtle from the Lingjiatan site is on show at the Palace Museum in Beijing on Feb 2, 2022. DING HAIXIU/FOR CHINA DAILY Recent archaeological research has busted a myth about unique pieces of jade that are among the most enigmatic artifacts of the Hongshan culture. These ancient treasures, made of local greenish nephrite and mostly resembling a horse …

Research reveals clues to jade mystery
11 months, 1 week ago

Research reveals clues to jade mystery

China Daily  

A turtle-shaped oblate vessel and a jade stick from the Lingjiatan site in Anhui province is on display at Anhui Museum in Hefei, on Dec 6, 2022. CHINA DAILY "This unique jadeware is abundant, with more than 50 pieces found to date — a substantial number considering the scarcity of Hongshan culture jade," he explained. Unlike other jade that features …

Research reveals clues to jade mystery
11 months, 1 week ago

Research reveals clues to jade mystery

China Daily  

A jade turtle from the Lingjiatan site is on show at the Palace Museum in Beijing on Feb 2, 2022. DING HAIXIU/FOR CHINA DAILY Recent archaeological research has busted a myth about unique pieces of jade that are among the most enigmatic artifacts of the Hongshan culture. These ancient treasures, made of local greenish nephrite and mostly resembling a horse …

China unveils new archaeological findings of Liangzhu ruins
1 year ago

China unveils new archaeological findings of Liangzhu ruins

China Daily  

A jade bracelet newly unearthed from Liangzhu ruins in Zhejiang province. BEIJING -- China's National Cultural Heritage Administration on Wednesday unveiled new archaeological discoveries at the ruins of Liangzhu ancient city and its water conservancy system. The recent findings have provided a preliminary understanding of the three development phases of the Liangzhu ruins starting from scattered settlements, to the construction …

Putting past glory on a podium
1 year, 1 month ago

Putting past glory on a podium

China Daily  

The "king of all cong". The ongoing continental sporting gala, that started with the 19th Asian Games and is currently continuing with the 4th Asian Para Games in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, has highlighted not only the great feats of sporting prowess, but also the deep cultural roots of the host nation. For instance, those working …

Putting past glory on a podium
1 year, 1 month ago

Putting past glory on a podium

China Daily  

The "king of all cong". The ongoing continental sporting gala, that started with the 19th Asian Games and is currently continuing with the 4th Asian Para Games in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, has highlighted not only the great feats of sporting prowess, but also the deep cultural roots of the host nation. For instance, those working …

Putting past glory on a podium
1 year, 1 month ago

Putting past glory on a podium

China Daily  

The "king of all cong". The ongoing continental sporting gala, that started with the 19th Asian Games and is currently continuing with the 4th Asian Para Games in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, has highlighted not only the great feats of sporting prowess, but also the deep cultural roots of the host nation. For instance, those working …

Putting past glory on a podium
1 year, 1 month ago

Putting past glory on a podium

China Daily  

The "king of all cong". The ongoing continental sporting gala, that started with the 19th Asian Games and is currently continuing with the 4th Asian Para Games in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, has highlighted not only the great feats of sporting prowess, but also the deep cultural roots of the host nation. For instance, those working …

A mascot with a winning history
1 year, 2 months ago

A mascot with a winning history

China Daily  

Congcong, one of the three mascots of the 19th Asian Games. Symbol displays the rich cultural heritage of host city, Zhao Xu reports The day seems long gone when crowd-pleasing animal images didn't dominate the field of sporting mascots. That is, until they get to know Congcong, one of the three mascots for the ongoing Asian Games, held in the …

A mascot with a winning history
1 year, 2 months ago

A mascot with a winning history

China Daily  

Congcong, one of the three mascots of the 19th Asian Games. Symbol displays the rich cultural heritage of host city, Zhao Xu reports The day seems long gone when crowd-pleasing animal images didn't dominate the field of sporting mascots. That is, until they get to know Congcong, one of the three mascots for the ongoing Asian Games, held in the …

Circles of influence
1 year, 4 months ago

Circles of influence

China Daily  

Jade dragons unearthed from various archaeological sites: a jade bracelet with dragon head design from Liangzhu in Zhejiang province. Startlingly similar jade artifacts — unearthed thousands of kilometers apart and from different eras — have provided a key to understanding how the nation's earliest societies inspired and interacted with one another, Zhao Xu reports. In the summer of 1983, 40-year-old …

Circles of influence
1 year, 4 months ago

Circles of influence

China Daily  

Jade dragons unearthed from various archaeological sites: a jade bracelet with dragon head design from Liangzhu in Zhejiang province. Startlingly similar jade artifacts — unearthed thousands of kilometers apart and from different eras — have provided a key to understanding how the nation's earliest societies inspired and interacted with one another, Zhao Xu reports. In the summer of 1983, 40-year-old …

Exquisite jade artifacts on display at Shanxi Museum
1 year, 4 months ago

Exquisite jade artifacts on display at Shanxi Museum

China Daily  

A group of jade artifacts were found in the tomb of Marquis Mu of Jin, the ninth dominator of the Jin Kingdom of the Western Zhou Dynasty in the province's Quwo county. At an ongoing exhibition held at the Shanxi Museum in Taiyuan, Shanxi province, visitors can see some exquisite jade artifacts. The relics had been found during the fourth …

Western Han Dynasty jade pendant reflects a pursuit of beautiful things
1 year, 4 months ago

Western Han Dynasty jade pendant reflects a pursuit of beautiful things

China Daily  

A Western Han Dynasty jade pendant with openwork carving patterns of a dragon in the inner ring, and a phoenix facing it in the outer ring The dragon and phoenix are auspicious motifs in traditional Chinese culture. Take a look at the Western Han Dynasty jade pendant, boasting an openwork carving design! With exquisite patterns, quaint structure and superb craftsmanship, …

Sichuan Paleolithic site offers further clues to human cultural evolution
1 year, 11 months ago

Sichuan Paleolithic site offers further clues to human cultural evolution

China Daily  

CHENGDU — A rich collection of artifacts has been unearthed from a large Paleolithic site in Southwest China's Sichuan province, marking a major breakthrough in China's Paleolithic archaeology. Located in Xiangshan township of Suining, the Taohuahe site is composed of two separated areas, with one covering over 90,000 square meters, according to Zheng Zhexuan, leader of the archaeological team from …

New light shed on beginnings of Chinese civilization
1 year, 11 months ago

New light shed on beginnings of Chinese civilization

China Daily  

Ceremonial jade blades, known as yazhang, were unearthed at the Erlitou site in Yanshi, Henan province. Cultural core Throughout history, the Central China Plains, also known as Zhongyuan, which are mainly located in Henan, were considered the cradle of Chinese civilization, mainly due to ancient documents recording the area's glorious past. In 2020, the 5,300-year-old Shuanghuaishu site in Gongyi, Henan, …

New light shed on beginnings of Chinese civilization
1 year, 11 months ago

New light shed on beginnings of Chinese civilization

China Daily  

An arc-shaped jade ornament known as huang was unearthed at the Lingjiatan site in Hanshan county, Anhui province. Archaeologists enjoy fruitful year with series of discoveries While jade holds vital clues to civilizations in China dating back thousands of years, it also plays an important role in present-day life. Last year, a ceremonial jade artifact known as a bi was …

New light shed on beginnings of Chinese civilization
1 year, 11 months ago

New light shed on beginnings of Chinese civilization

China Daily  

An arc-shaped jade ornament known as huang was unearthed at the Lingjiatan site in Hanshan county, Anhui province. Archaeologists enjoy fruitful year with series of discoveries While jade holds vital clues to civilizations in China dating back thousands of years, it also plays an important role in present-day life. Last year, a ceremonial jade artifact known as a bi was …

New light shed on beginnings of Chinese civilization
1 year, 11 months ago

New light shed on beginnings of Chinese civilization

China Daily  

The Bicun site in Lyuliang, Shanxi province. A palace, whose design can be seen in imperial cities in later dynasties, and exquisite pottery may provide clues to a previously unimaginable power hub on the edge of Loess Plateau. Wang Wei, director of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences' Academic Division of History and a leading expert in the origins-tracing program, …

New light shed on beginnings of Chinese civilization
1 year, 11 months ago

New light shed on beginnings of Chinese civilization

China Daily  

An arc-shaped jade ornament known as huang was unearthed at the Lingjiatan site in Hanshan county, Anhui province. Archaeologists enjoy fruitful year with series of discoveries While jade holds vital clues to civilizations in China dating back thousands of years, it also plays an important role in present-day life. Last year, a ceremonial jade artifact known as a bi was …

New light shed on beginnings of Chinese civilization
1 year, 11 months ago

New light shed on beginnings of Chinese civilization

China Daily  

An arc-shaped jade ornament known as huang was unearthed at the Lingjiatan site in Hanshan county, Anhui province. Archaeologists enjoy fruitful year with series of discoveries While jade holds vital clues to civilizations in China dating back thousands of years, it also plays an important role in present-day life. Last year, a ceremonial jade artifact known as a bi was …

New findings unveiled at Lingjiatan relics site
1 year, 11 months ago

New findings unveiled at Lingjiatan relics site

China Daily  

A jade ware unearthed at the site. New findings have emerged at the Lingjiatan relics site in Ma'anshan, East China's Anhui province, says the provincial cultural relics and archaeology institute. Several jade and stone relics were unearthed at the site, including the largest stone tool known as a yue and the largest jade ornament known as a huang in the …

Millennia-old relics unearthed in Central China's Hunan
2 years ago

Millennia-old relics unearthed in Central China's Hunan

China Daily  

CHANGSHA — A collection of pottery and stone artifacts dating back more than 2,200 years has been unearthed from an archaeological site in Hunan province, according to the provincial institute of heritage and archaeology. Unearthed artifacts mainly include pottery pieces, pottery cauldrons and stone tools, such as spears, arrowheads and knives. Based on the various patterns on the hard pottery …

Jade carvings echo through history
2 years, 4 months ago

Jade carvings echo through history

China Daily  

An aerial view of the rubble mound tombs at the Niuheliang site in Chaoyang, Liaoning province. Discoveries at ancient site suggest a common bond linking various areas, report Fang Aiqing and Wang Kaihao. A national comprehensive research program, launched in 2002, to trace the origins of Chinese civilization, has led to the excavations and studies of key sites that are …

Jade carvings echo through history
2 years, 4 months ago

Jade carvings echo through history

China Daily  

An aerial view of the rubble mound tombs at the Niuheliang site in Chaoyang, Liaoning province. Discoveries at ancient site suggest a common bond linking various areas, report Fang Aiqing and Wang Kaihao. A national comprehensive research program, launched in 2002, to trace the origins of Chinese civilization, has led to the excavations and studies of key sites that are …

Jade carvings echo through history
2 years, 4 months ago

Jade carvings echo through history

China Daily  

An aerial view of the rubble mound tombs at the Niuheliang site in Chaoyang, Liaoning province. Discoveries at ancient site suggest a common bond linking various areas, report Fang Aiqing and Wang Kaihao. A national comprehensive research program, launched in 2002, to trace the origins of Chinese civilization, has led to the excavations and studies of key sites that are …

A mountain of knowledge
3 years ago

A mountain of knowledge

China Daily  

A set of stone arrows unearthed from the Yanshanzhai site. Yanshanzhai site, the Lingnan region's largest known human settlement from the Neolithic period-defined in China as between 10,000 and 4,000 years ago-was found on a mountain in Yingde, a city in the north of Guangdong province. Since 2019, a joint archaeological team drawn from Guangdong Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics …

A mountain of knowledge
3 years ago

A mountain of knowledge

China Daily  

Jade artifacts at the site show its prehistoric connection with the present-day Yangtze River Delta region. "It reflects frequent communication among different communities within the Lingnan region and its neighboring area to the north," Liu says. But some highlighted artifacts excavated from the Yanshanzhai site show that such communication probably spanned a much greater distance. Liu also expects follow-up research …

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