China, a country with an abundant deposit of jade, is well known in the world for its special art of jade carving. The tradition of the art started early in the Neolithic period and the carving techniques were very unique and advanced. The beautifully carved jades with their deep implications have plaid some special roles in Chinese politics, economy, culture, ideology, ethics and religion that other kinds of art have never reached.
Types of ancient Chinese jades
Ritual implements Pieces used in sacrificial ceremonies, like jade Bi disc, Cong, Gui (blade) and Zhang (scepter).
Ceremonial objects Pieces used as symbols of military power, such as jade Fu (axe), Qi (notched axe), Yue (axe), Ge (halberd) and Dao (knife) in the form of tools or weapon.

Wearing ornaments Pieces as jade Jue (earring), Huang (arc-shaped pendant), Zhan (hair-pain), Zhuo (bracelet), Kua (belt), scabbard ornaments, and pendants in shape of animals or human beings. Some pieces were worn in sets.

Burial objects Pieces as jade clothes, Han, Wo and Sai (jade pieces put in the mouth, hands and nose of the dead upon burial). They were believed to have a protection function for the corpse.

Decorative objects Jade pieces in shape of human figures, animals, ancient bronze wares, mountains and table screen used for decoration purpose.

Daily utensils Jade belt hook, cup, bowl, plate, teapot, paperweight, brush holder and some other pieces of stationery.
Cultural implications of ancient Chinese jades
1. A symbol of wealth and power
Many archaeological excavations have proved that most of the jade wares were owned by the upper class in ancient China. Large quantities of finely worked jades buried in the tombs of clan leaders and royal family members reflected their luxuriant wealth and special power. Along with the establishment of social rites in the Western Zhou dynasty (11th century-771 BC), a system of using jade was brought into being. The type, size, design, color and quality of the jade wares became a status symbol of the wearer.
2. An envoy of religious deities
The ancient Chinese believed that jade could be a kind of link between human beings and gods and had a special function to get rid of evils. So it had been used in sacrificial ceremonies to worship the gods of nature and commemorate ancestors for blessing, or worn as an amulet and ornaments, or buried for the dead.
3. A mark of morality
The ancient Chinese had related the natural qualities of jade with human morality, as Confucius claimed that jade had the qualities of benevolence, wisdom, justice, courtesy, loyalty, happiness, trustworthiness, heaven, earth, virtue and truth. So, wearing jades became very popular among the Chinese. People of all classes liked to wear jades to show their identity, and at the same time standardized their own behavior.
Samples of Some ancient Chinese jades
1. Dragon
It is an imaginative animal believed as the God of water in Chinese tradition. Starting from the Hongshan culture (30th century BC), the form of jade dragon underwent a continuous evolution through thousands of years' history with characters of ages. There are pieces in shape of a dragon or with a design of dragon, symbolizing status, power and good luck.

2. Bi disc
Bi id a flat round piece in shape of a disc with a hole in the center. It is one of the representative jade wares that often found in tombs of the Liangzhu culture (31st-22nd century BC). It was originally used as a ritual vessel to offer sacrifice to the God of heaven, but gradually lost its ritual function in thousands of years' development. It appeared more decorative later with fine workmanship and beautiful designs.
3. Cong
One of the representative ritual jades of the Liangzhu culture (31st -22nd century BC), in a square column shape with a round perforation through the center. It usually has man-like figure and animal mask designs at the four corners and was used to offer sacrifice to the God of earth according to the ancient Chinese philosophy of "round heaven and square earth". It gradually decreased in number after 221 BC.
4. Decorative pieces for swords
It was very popular for the nobles in the period from Eastern Zhou to Han dynasties (770 BC- 220 AD) to decorate their swords with jade pieces to show their dignities. So there appeared jade sword pommel and guard, and scabbard slide and shaped.
5. Han
A jade piece put in the mouth of the dead upon burial. This burial custom could be traced back to the Neolithic Songze culture (3800-3200 BC). In the Hah dynasty (206 BC- 220 AD), it was mostly in a cicada shape because people then believed that the dead could regenerate like cicada.
6. Wo
Pair of jade pieces put in hands of the dead upon burial. In the Han dynasty (206 BC-AD 220), they usually appeared in a pig shape as pig then was a symbol of wealth and people wish to have wealth accompany them to the next life.
7. "Spring water" and "Autumn mountains"
A type of jade pieces of Liao and Jin dynasties (916-1234) with designs describing the northern nomadic mores of hunting in spring and autumn, such as a falcon catching a swan and a group of deer in the forest.
Materials and Origins
"Jade" in Chinese can be classified into two categories: one, in a narrow mineralogical sense, includes nephrite and jadeite; the other in a broad sense of Chinese tradition covers all the beautiful stones like agate, crystal and turquoise.
Hetian jade
A kind of precious stone with a hardness of 6.0-6.5 degree from Hetian, Xinjiang Autonomous region. It varies greatly in color, such as white, blue, bluish white, green, yellow and black; the white one is the best. Lots of ancient Chinese jade wares were carved from it.
Xiu jade
A kind of serpentine with a hardness of 2.5-5.5 degree from Xiuyan, Liaoning province. Some other places in China also have this kind of stone, as Jiuquan jade from Gansu, and Xinyi jade from Guangdong.
Nanyang jade
A kind of plagioclase rock with a hardness of 6-6.5 degree from Dushan, Nanyang, Henan province. So sometimes it is called Dushan jade.
Lantian jade
A kind of serpentine from Lantian, Shaanxi province.
Jadeite
A kind of pyroxene with a hardness of 7 degree, mainly from Burma. It was popularly used in the Qing dynasty (1644-1911).

A symbol of wealth and power	Burial objects

1. Dragon	2. Bidisc	3. Cong