A Brief Introduction of Jade in China
1 min readA Brief Introduction of Jade in China
Jade has a history in China of at least four thousands years.Unknown to some，jade is found contained within the development of religion and civilization，havingmoved from the use of decoration on to the others such as the rites of worship andburial.Although other materials like gold，silver and bronze were also used，none of these have ever exceeded the spiritual position that jade has acquired in peoples’minds-it is associated with merit，morality，grace and dignity.In the funeral objects of the people of the Western Han Dynasty（206 BC-24 AD），for example，we can see only high officials were buried with jade articles.
The Use of Jade in Ancient Times
Jade articles produced in ancient China were used in sacrificial ceremonies，rituals，funerals，and adornments.With their solid and smooth quality，and lustrous cloors，jade products have always been famous for their beauty and style.
In ancient times，jade was only used for personal ornaments.After the middle and later period of the Neolithic Age，large jade articles replaced small ones.Large jadearticles，usually symbolizing a certain political prestige，began to reflect the ideas of the social class system and ancient religions.Until this time，jade pieces had been regarded as merely ornaments，but the stone now became closely connected to a ritual system.
