Jades in Chinese Culture and Religion

Jades in Chinese Culture and Religion

Jades in Chinese Culture and Religion

My hypothesis is that jades held some kind of religious significance to the Hongshan people.
A jade is a strongly colored stone that can be polished to a shine. As many people may know, jades are abundant in Chinese culture. Ancient Chinese considered jades to be sacred material. It is said that jades reflect the cosmological and religious views of the people of ancient China. The manufacture of jades can be traced back 12,000 years thanks to a discovery of jade-cutting implements from   the Xiaogushan site. (Liu Junyong 1989) But even with a more conservative estimate Chinese have been working with jade for at least 8,000 years. (Teng Shu-p'ing; "A Theory of the Three Origins of Jade Culture in Ancient China")
The Chinese believed that jade possessed "jingqi," an essential force. They also felt that jade was the purest form of "yang," a positive force. "The ancient Chinese believed that an empathy existed between things of similar nature, and thus chose jade, a stone with supernatural qualities, to perform rituals of worship. Jade objects were fashioned in a variety of shapes, often with special incised marking, to enhance the object's power as a medium between man and the spiritual world."(Teng Shu-p'ing; "A Theory of the Three Origins of Jade Culture in Ancient China")
Jades are the only grave goods found at the Hongshan sites. These jades have no practical use in day to day life, and this shows that the Hongshan Culture valued intellect over material things.   Commonly found jades are hooked cloud-shaped pendants, bi, tortoises, pig dragons, hoof shaped tubes, and animal figures. Many of the jades have ox-nose loops on the back which resemble button holes, that were most likely used to attach the jades to another object. These jades found in the burials are all large and heavy, and therefore should be seen as religious objects, and not day to day decorations. (Guo Dashun, "Understanding the Burial Rituals of the...