Ancient jade is not only one of the oldest historical relics in China, but also a cultural carrier that embodies the virtues and spirit of the Chinese nation. The Complete Works of Jade Unearthed in China (Science Press) published in 2005 shows nearly 4,000 precious jade unearthed in China in the past century. It can be said that every jade article is a period of history and contains a unique culture. Some scholars say that without the knowledge of jade, it is impossible to truly understand Chinese civilization. Then, from the perspective of Chinese civilization and culture, experts have made different interpretations of how much history ancient jade has hidden.

Before the appearance of bronzes, jade became the core material carrier to explore the origin of Chinese civilization and the early social development process. /kloc-in the late autumn of 0/992, the world's oldest jade earring, Yujue, was discovered for the first time at the excavation site of Xinglongwa site. Undoubtedly, the ancestors of Xinglongwa 8,000 years ago took a key step to let jade articles enter people's lives.

Reporter: The Xinglongwa Culture jades in the West Liaohe River Basin have pioneered the carving and use of prehistoric jades in China. Based on this, it has become an important research topic in current academic circles to explore whether China has used jade articles for nearly ten thousand years, which has also triggered in-depth thinking on the overall pattern of the origin of Chinese civilization. So, what role does jade have for us to study and understand the development of prehistoric society in China today?

Liu Guoxiang (Associate Research Fellow, Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences): There are no written records in prehistoric times, and the understanding of that distant past will mainly rely on archaeological excavations of remains and relics. Before the appearance of bronzes, jade articles played a very important role in the development of prehistoric society in China, and became the core material carrier to explore the origin of Chinese civilization and the early social development.

The discovery of jade in Xinglongwa Site in Aohan Banner, Inner Mongolia attracted worldwide attention and became the earliest known jade in China. It pioneered the Chinese jade culture in the selection of materials, modeling characteristics and carving techniques, and occupied a leading position in the history of East Asian jade culture. In terms of material selection, the ancestors of Xinglongwa 8,000 years ago had the ability to identify jade materials, and they could distinguish jade materials from stone materials according to their size, advantages and disadvantages and carve them into jade articles with different shapes, which undoubtedly took the most crucial step to let jade articles enter people's lives. Although people's concept of choosing jade at that time was still different from the jade we confirmed from the perspective of material scientific appraisal today, there is no doubt that the ancestors of Xinglongwa laid the foundation for the development of jade culture in later generations, which proves that the traditional cultural concept of advocating beautiful jade of the Chinese nation began in prehistoric times and has continued and influenced it to this day. Xinglongwa Culture jade mainly has decorative function, which fully embodies people's pursuit of external decorative beauty of human body at that time. Some jades have the function of ritual vessels or utensils, especially the appearance of the custom of displaying objects in jade slips, which is the earliest example that China has endowed jade with humanistic concept so far. /kloc-in the late autumn of 0/992, the jade Jue located at the owner's ear was first discovered at the excavation site of Xinglongwa site; 1998 The Chinese University of Hong Kong held the International Symposium on Ancient Jade Articles in East Asia, and identified the jade ornaments in Xinglong Valley as the oldest jade earrings in the world. A specific aesthetic concept is an important condition for the origin of jade culture. After Xinglongwa Culture, the jade carving industry in Hongshan Culture developed rapidly, and the appearance of large-scale jade dragons, gouyun-shaped vessels and hoop-shaped vessels marked the heyday of jade culture development in Northeast China. Therefore, the Xiliaohe River Basin has become one of the core areas of carving and using jade articles in prehistoric times in China, which played a very prominent role in the origin of Chinese civilization and had a far-reaching impact on Xia, Shang and Zhou civilizations. Therefore, through the study of jade, we can deeply understand the origin of Chinese civilization and the early social development.

Mr. Guo Dashun, an archaeologist, believes that "the discovery of the ruins and jade objects in Liangtan Temple in Niuhe, Hongshan Culture, with conclusive and rich archaeological data, proves that in the process of the origin of Chinese civilization, western Liaoning took the lead and became a part of the direct root system of China traditional culture, which may be related to the representative figures in the early period of the Five Emperors." Although until today, the academic circles have not reached a higher level of understanding about whether Hongshan Culture has entered the civilized era, we believe that the exploration of the origin of jade culture will undoubtedly help to understand the overall characteristics of the origin of Chinese civilization.

The ideal society of the ancients is that the relationship between man and nature is in the best harmonious state, and jade is the carrier that can best embody this idea. Metaphors such as "a gentleman is better than jade" and "a gentleman has no reason, and jade won't go" are all the results of the ancients personalizing jade and giving it beauty and virtue.

Reporter: Our ancestors not only began to make and use jade articles in ancient times, but also had some rational understanding of the connotation of jade articles themselves very early. With the development of the times, they constantly give jade new explanations and meanings. Then, how did the ancients add the ideological attribute to the natural attribute of jade, thus forming a unique jade culture full of humanistic spirit and ethics in China.

Gu Fang (researcher of Beijing Yu Xueyu Cultural Research Center and editor-in-chief of Complete Works of Jade Unearthed in China): The word "jade" has always been a beautiful and noble word in people's minds. People use jade characters to form countless words to express their favorite things, such as jade appearance, jade body, jade girl, jade capacity and so on. And described dying for justice as "life is worse than death." The prosperity of jade worship can be seen. The ancients distinguished jade, and the first virtue was the second symbol. Virtue is the quality and symbol is the color, that is, quality is the main and color is the auxiliary, which are still the two basic signs to evaluate nephrite.

The appearance color of jadeite can be known at a glance, but what is the evaluation standard of its internal quality? The ancients had many evaluation criteria, such as eleven virtues in the Book of Rites, nine virtues in Guanzi and seven virtues in Xunzi. Xu Shen of the Han Dynasty summarized and enriched the observation and deduction of the natural attributes of jade in the pre-Qin period, and put forward the theory that jade has five virtues. These five virtues are "Wen Renrun"; Thinking from the outside, you can know the middle way and know the righteousness; Its sound is soothing, its design is far-listening, and its wisdom is also; Fearless and unyielding, the brave side is also; Sharp is not expensive, but it is not embarrassing, and so is the clean side. "It can be seen that the five virtues not only include the quality, color, sound and carving of jade, but also combine with the quality of others. Metaphors such as "a gentleman is better than jade" and "a gentleman has no reason, and jade won't go" are all the results of the ancients personalizing jade and giving it beauty and virtue.

During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, there was a situation of "a hundred schools of thought contend", and various schools put forward their own views on the functional value of jade articles from different positions. The representative of Mohism is Mozi, who opposes predatory wars, advocates economy, and regards whether it is conducive to solving people's food and clothing as the standard of measuring value, so he holds a comprehensive negative attitude towards jade. He believes that the world-recognized treasures such as "the treasure of harmony" can neither make the country rich nor the people rich, nor can they play a role in stabilizing society, so they are not treasures, but only luxuries of a few rulers.

Han Feizi is a representative figure of Legalism. He advocated the establishment of a centralized monarchy and the rule of law. His attitude towards jade shows a strong pragmatism, and he thinks that the value of jade lies in practicality. If a beautifully decorated jade can't be used, it is worthless. He took jade and pottery as examples to illustrate his understanding of their value. He thinks Tao is cheap but practical, and jade is valuable but useless, so Tao is better than jade.

Confucius, the founder of Confucianism, took a more practical attitude towards jade, denying its essence, appearance and value. Confucius believes that the material value of jade is not great, and the value of jade lies in its finished product. For example, once Zigong asked Confucius, "I have a beautiful piece of jade here." Should I hide it in the cupboard or sell it to a businessman who knows the goods? " Confucius answered simply: "sell it!" "It can be seen that Confucius' attitude towards jade is very casual. However, Confucius attached great importance to some jade articles. In The Analects of Confucius, it is described that Confucius bent down and was very cautious when holding Yu Gui. Confucius lived in the era when jade was formed. Confucius attached great importance to the ritual system and admired jade ritual vessels. Moreover, Confucius believes that jade and silk are not enough to express all the contents of the ceremony, and the inner beauty of jade is also very important. He emphasized that the expression form of jade should be unified with the content. Because Confucianism was regarded as the dominant thought by the feudal rulers in later generations, Confucius' exposition on jade had the greatest influence on the conceptualization of jade system in later generations.

In the development of Chinese jade culture, due to the intervention of Confucianism, jade has developed from an "object" of primitive religious activities and a primitive ritual vessel for offering sacrifices to ghosts and gods to an ornament for the aristocratic class to express their identity and status, which is a great progress in the history of jade development. The custom of nobles wearing a set of jade ornaments was popular in the Western Zhou Dynasty. Confucianism affirmed this custom of wearing jade in theory and advocated institutionalizing wearing jade. Therefore, jade has changed from serving mainly for "God" to serving mainly for "people". This transformation process has a certain causal relationship with Confucius' doctrine of the mean, which contains materialistic factors, such as "don't talk about strange things, contingency, chaos and spirit", "stay away from ghosts and gods" and "you can't associate with ghosts without interacting with people" "The golden mean" is the ethical thought of Confucianism, which refers to a just and perfect attitude, the highest standard of ancient moral behavior and the lifestyle of China people. The ancients regarded jade as the embodiment of the golden mean, combining rigidity with softness, and having both form and spirit. The ideal society of the ancients is that the relationship between man and nature is in the best harmonious state, that is, the so-called "great harmony in the world", and jade is the carrier that can best embody this idea. Jade itself is a natural mineral, which is used by gentlemen and reflects the relationship between man and nature. The perfect and orderly jade use system embodies the relationship between people. Confucianism chose "jade" as the carrier of its political thought and moral concept, which greatly strengthened the cultural connotation of jade and made jade culture occupy an important position in China traditional culture.

The original meaning of the word "Li" is to offer jade to the gods. The ancients originally called the act of offering jade to the gods through sacrifice a ceremony. The so-called "the ancients bowed with jade". Therefore, the jade used for offering sacrifices to gods is called a ritual vessel, and the jade used for receiving or descending gods is called an artifact.

Reporter: There are two main etiquette functions of China ancient jade, one is for utensils and the other is for ritual vessels. How to understand the relationship between jade and Chinese etiquette civilization?

Tian Guanglin (Dean, Professor, School of History, Culture and Tourism, Liaoning Normal University): The core of traditional culture in China lies in its unique ritual tradition, and the earliest ritual activities and the initial social management activities all originated from the religious sacrificial activities mediated by jade, which is what people call the truth that ritual comes from sacrifice.

People sacrifice to God because they want something from God. The essence of sacrificing to God lies in bribing God, that is, giving gifts to God. The purpose of giving gifts is to exchange gifts with the magic of the gods and seek their protection. In the fishing and hunting era with stone tools as the main production tools, the best gifts are jade and meat. In ancient Chinese characters, the original meaning of the word "Li" is to serve the gods with jade. Shuowen: "Rites are achievements. Therefore, everything is blessed by God. " In other words, the ancients originally called the act of offering jade to the gods in the form of sacrifice as a gift, and the so-called "the ancients saluted with jade." Therefore, the jade used for offering sacrifices to gods is called a ritual vessel, and the jade used for receiving or descending gods is called an artifact.

According to research, the prehistoric jade Jue and Yuhuan discovered by archaeology are symbols of snakes. Jade Jue, commonly used in earrings in Xinglongwa Culture, should be called Yu 'er. The symbolic meaning of Yu 'er jade lies in Er snake, that is, the dragon snake surrounds the ear. A small number of tomb owners who wear Yuer in tombs are witches who are considered to have the ability to ascend to heaven and descend to the gods, and are marked by two snakes. These people were religious leaders and tribal leaders at that time. According to ancient records, Xia Qi, the founding emperor of Xia Dynasty, was a mysterious figure with snakes in his ears and hands. Therefore, Xinglongwa Culture Jade Jue, once regarded as an ornament of daily life, is actually a sacred and solemn artifact and ritual vessel.

In addition, the number of jade knives is second only to that of Yujue, and its prototype is obviously a bone knife used by fishing and hunting society to slaughter animals before the appearance of metal knives. In the ancient fishing and hunting era, when clan or tribal organizations distributed prey, it was usually the clan leader who dismembered the prey with a knife and distributed it according to the generations of ethnic members. This principle of distribution is also common in sacrificial ceremonies. In ancient times, whenever ancestor worship ended, a final ceremony was held, that is, a food sharing ceremony. First of all, the priest broke down the sacrifice to the ancestors into several pieces, ensuring that every member who participated in the sacrifice could get a piece, and then shared it according to the order of precedence. The most honorable person eats the best meat first, and the last person can eat the worst meat accordingly. This ancient custom lasted until the Han Dynasty. According to historical records, Chen Ping, the founding hero of the Western Han Dynasty, was the butcher who presided over the sacrificial ceremony. He was praised by everyone because he shared the meat fairly and reasonably. Ambitious Chen Ping immediately said with emotion that if he were allowed to manage the world, he would certainly be able to do it and share the meat! From then on, China had the idiom "slaughter the world".

In ancient times, when people sacrificed jade to the gods, they also reduced themselves to the vassal status of the gods. The fundamental boundary between man and God is "ceremony", which is the origin of "ceremony still ranks". God's initial ceremony is purely a personal act, and everyone can talk to God by giving gifts. Later, due to the legendary religious reform in Zhuan Xu era, "a Jedi understands heaven", China's early religious belief began to progress from the individual religious stage to the tribal religious stage. The essence of tribal religion lies in the monopoly of religious theocracy, and the superior monopolizes the administrative power of the real society by monopolizing theocracy. At this time, people's ritual spirit is public welfare and collectivism, which is a unified and orderly behavior under the leadership of the patriarch and the supreme community manager. This is the origin of China's ancient traditional ritual civilization model, focusing on worshipping jade, suntech, heaven, ancestors and kings.

Therefore, it can be said that the appearance of jade is equivalent to the appearance of ceremony and the light of civilization. China's ancient jade has an important milestone in the history of China's ritual civilization development: first, from the perspective of production technology development, if the smelting and casting of bronze represents the development level of social productive forces in Xia, Shang and Zhou Dynasties, then the polishing and cutting of jade reflects the overall indicators of China's science and technology and production development in the Neolithic Age; Secondly, from the perspective of national cultural tradition, if the bronze ritual vessels are the materialized symbols of three generations of ritual and music civilized society, then the ancient jade in China is the basic carrier of the occurrence, accumulation, expansion and inheritance of the ancient ritual system in China in the Neolithic Age; Thirdly, since the Xia, Shang and Zhou Dynasties, jade has become a symbol used by rulers of past dynasties to distinguish rank and status, and a token of exercising military and political power. Uncle Li Zhou Guan Chun: "Regard jade as the six virtues and wait for the country." According to the level, Yu Pei knows that according to the etiquette of jade, this has become a common etiquette rule. Therefore, the emergence and development of jade is consistent with the emergence and development of China's ritual civilization.

Bi Yuan, a Qianlong Jinshi, pioneered jade carving and pearl making. For a time, Burmese jadeite became a treasure of Beijing's upper class, once surpassing Hetian jade. The import of "jade with traces of capital" influenced the aesthetic view of jade in Qianlong period.

Reporter: The sustainable development of jade in China also benefits from the jade cultural exchange with the surrounding areas. How did the 2,000-year communication history between Chinese and foreign Baoyu enrich the treasure house of Chinese jade culture?

Yin Zhiqiang (Professor, Nanjing Art Institute): The jades in China have been developing in mutual communication, first of all, the integration of various ethnic groups in China. After12/2 BC1year, with the Han Dynasty opening up a big channel connecting Eurasia and the western regions, Zhang Qian went to the western regions, especially after the prosperity of the "Silk Road", Hetian jade gained a lot of excavation, and the first large-scale Chinese-foreign exchange appeared in the history of jade in China. Jade articles from the Central Plains are continuously exported to the Great Wall, and gems, colored glasses and gold handicrafts from Central Asia and West Asia are continuously imported into the Central Plains.

In ancient times, China paid attention not only to jade, but also to precious jade and precious stones, which was different from other countries that loved precious stones in the world. For example, according to the ancient etiquette system, all jade used for etiquette and sacrifice must be real jade, not beautiful stone, otherwise it will be regarded as blasphemy to God. The king can reward the whole jade, but the nobles below the king, even if they are rich, can't use the whole jade, but must use beautiful stones; Emperor Wanli of the Ming Dynasty used a lot of imported gems, but most of them were not made into ornaments alone, but as ornaments of white jade in Hetian, Xinjiang, with colored gems inlaid on the surface of the jade and China jade as the main body. 600 years ago, foreign jewelry began to hold China jade. The Collection of Tributes to the Western Regions, written on 1520, mentioned "gems" in many places, indicating that the Ming Dynasty brought back a large number of gems from the western regions. Rare treasures have been unearthed in the tombs of emperors and nobles in Jiangxi, Hubei, Nanjing, Beijing and other places, which are in harmony with China jade.

Archaeological excavations confirmed that jadeite was first used in western Yunnan in the late Ming Dynasty, and was introduced to the south of the Yangtze River through Yunnan and Guangdong in the early Qing Dynasty. In the middle and late Qing Dynasty, local officials and wealthy businessmen in the south of the Yangtze River paid tribute to fine Burmese jade, which attracted the attention of the court. For example, Bi Yuan, a scholar in the Qianlong period, once held important positions in Shaanxi and Huguang. He is familiar with curios and treasures, has a large collection of ancient jade, and has a special liking for Burmese jade. He polished the exquisite jade into pearls and shared them with his wife, which opened the way for jade to carve pearls. You know, at that time, the court had not used jade beads. Under the influence of Bi Yuan and others, the Korean people began to use jade, which became a common practice. Burmese jadeite has become a treasure of Beijing's upper class, which is in short supply. Top Burmese jadeite has been continuously imported into China, becoming an important jade, once surpassing Hetian jade, enriching the treasure house of jade in China.

250-200 years ago, two major events occurred in the history of jade in China. One was the formation of "Qianlong Carving", and the other was the import of "Shendu Stan Jade". After four or five thousand years of development, China's jade art was too mature, lacked innovation and failed to break through, and entered a dead end in the early Qing Dynasty. Gan Long was very dissatisfied with this, and made innovations, striving for a breakthrough in modeling, technology and jade theme, and drawing artistic nutrition from Shang and Zhou bronzes and Han jade articles in form to enrich modeling; Strive for Excellence and be meticulous in thinking about technology; It is a fashion to reproduce the charm of China ancient culture in theme expression. At the same time, do everything possible to show the beauty of Hetian jade material and cast it into a "dry dragon carving" that lasts forever.

"Qianlong Carving" does not hesitate to use consumables, and its works are too thick and delicate, lacking the dexterity of jade, while "Shendu Stan Jade" (mainly Islamic jade, produced in northern India and parts of Turkey) is good at dexterity, emphasizing one device and one color, no miscellaneous colors and smart colors; The form of utensils is taken from the laws of nature, and fruits, flowers, leaves and stems have successively entered jade; The exterior of the wall is decorated with floral patterns, or inlaid with glass beads and metal wires. Qianlong admired this and applied it to the jade making in Qing dynasty, resulting in the imitation of "Western Fan Zuo".

Chinese jade culture is rich and profound, which can reflect a lot of information about material production, ideology and cultural exchange in ancient society, and can reflect China people's cognition and rationality in many ways. Jade is not only a national culture, but also a scientific and technological culture. In Chinese culture, jade culture has been running through, and with the great rejuvenation of Chinese culture, its vitality is becoming more and more vigorous. (Source: China Reading News)