Jade Jue: Testimonies of Ancient Chinese Aesthetics

This book is a popular historical book about Chinese jade culture. It is divided into seven chapters and 64 lectures， relying on handed-down documents and archaeological data， introducing various types of jade from the Neolithic Age to the Qing Dynasty. It tells the value and status of jade in the historical process of the germination， development， integration， and expansion of Chinese civilization， exploring the unique civilization genes of jade， and discovering the civilization characteristics of jade.

Jade artifacts from ancient China， as an independent and mature form of craftsmanship， first emerged during the Neolithic period. From their inception， they displayed a radiant and magnificent quality， characterized by their wide distribution， abundance， and rich cultural connotations. Today， they serve as one of the primary sources for exploring the characteristics of the origins of Chinese civilization. Among these， jade earrings (known as jue， 玦) are one of the earliest types of adornments， found at nearly all major cultural sites of the period. Their primary function — as ear ornaments —exhibit remarkable consistency， making them enduring testimonies to the shared aesthetic values of ancient Chinese people and embodying the early genetic foundation of China’s cultural unity.

Jade jue typically refers to ring-shaped jade pieces with an open segment. Multiple examples， often appearing in pairs， have been unearthed at the Xinglongwa site dating back 8，000 years. Archaeologists discovered a pair of jade jue in Tomb 117， located north of House 176. These jues are circular， made from yellow-green jade， with diameters of 2.8–2.9 cm， and feature irregular shapes. More importantly， they were positioned near the ears of the tomb’s occupant， with the open ends facing upwards — a strong indication of their function as ear ornaments.

In Tomb 130， another pair of jade jue were unearthed near the ears of the deceased， also made of yellow-green jade. Interestingly， this pair demonstrates a clear “matching” aesthetic， with minimal differences in shape， color， size， weight， and craftsmanship. Both pieces have a diameter of 4.77 cm， a thickness of 0.73–0.74 cm， and weigh 23 grams. The rings are well-crafted， and polished to a smooth， rounded finish. This pair reflects the people’s refined aesthetic sensibilities and their emphasis on symmetry and pairing.

In 1994， another pair of yellow-green jade jue were uncovered in Tomb 135， near the skull of the interred individual. This pair exhibits even more meticulous craftsmanship and is the largest among the jade jue found at the Xinglongwa site. Experts have dubbed them the “King of Jue.”

The Xinglongwa Culture is one of the sources of the Hongshan Culture. Long before the flourishing jade artifacts of Hongshan Culture appeared， numerous well-crafted jade objects had already been discovered at the Xinglongwa site. Experts believe that the Xinglongwa Culture， the earliest archaeological culture in Northeast China to feature mature jade jue， played a pivotal role in standardizing the form of these artifacts. From this cultural foundation， jade jue began to spread in all directions: north and east to Russia， southeast to Japan， and， most significantly， south and southwest to the Central Plains. The influence extended further to southeastern， southern， and southwestern China， even reaching as far as Vietnam.

This extensive dissemination likely explains why jade jue have been found at almost all Neolithic cultural sites within China’s current territory， spanning regions across the nation. In addition to the Northeast， jade jue appear in the Yellow River Basin’s Dawenkou， Longshan， Yangshao， Taosi， and Shimao cultures; the Huai River Basin’s Beiyinyangying and Lingjiatan cultures; the Yangtze River Basin’s Hemudu， Majiabang， Songze， Liangzhu， and Daxi cultures; the Pearl River Basin’s Shixia culture; and so on. These jade jues share a consistent form: ring-shaped with an open segment. Their archaeological context is also strikingly similar — they were almost always found near the ear， underscoring their use as ear ornaments. This widespread uniformity highlights a shared aesthetic vision among ancient Chinese people， reflecting a collective appreciation for jade ornaments during the Neolithic period.

However， the form and function of jade jue evolved over time during their dissemination. By the later Liangzhu Culture， jade jue became increasingly rare， with some displaying changes in shape. In the Shijiahe Culture， jade jue nearly vanished altogether. During the Xia， Shang， and Western Zhou dynasties， jade jue continued to serve as ear ornaments， retaining their characteristic ring shape with an open segment， but their functions expanded significantly. They could be used as hair accessories， pendants， or burial objects placed in the mouth or held in the hands of the deceased. This expanded role may reflect the emergence of a pronounced religious consciousness during this period. Jade， long considered a medium for communicating with the divine， gained ritual significance. Common ornaments like jade jue thus acquired new ceremonial functions.

The Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods marked the era of the greatest transformation in the function of jade jue. During this time， the collapse of the Zhou Dynasty’s ritual system， which had been fundamental to maintaining governance， led to societal chaos and the rise of warring states. This disintegration of traditional order deeply influenced the production and use of jade artifacts. Some jade objects， like jade belt ornaments， were employed in ways that violated their original ceremonial roles. Others， including jade jue， lost their initial functions and underwent significant changes.

Jade jue evolved into a crucial decorative accessory， often symbolizing decisiveness. This new function extended its meaning to denote the severance or termination of relationships. During the Warring States Period， as documented by the philosopher Xunzi， jade objects played a symbolic role in many interpersonal interactions. For instance: A gui (珪) was used for diplomatic missions. A bi (璧) was presented for state consultations. A yuan (瑗) was used for summoning subordinates. A jue (玦) symbolized severance of ties. A huan (环) represented reconciliation. The meanings of jue and huan were starkly opposite. As Tang Dynasty scholar Yang Liang explained， in ancient times， when a subordinate committed a crime， they were exiled to the border for three years without leaving. If the ruler sent them a jade huan， it signified a return to favor and reinstatement. Conversely， receiving a jade jue symbolized the irrevocable severance of the relationship.

A historical event illustrates this new significance of jade jue. At the end of the Qin Dynasty， Liu Bang and Xiang Yu rose against Qin rule and recognized King Huai of Chu as their mutual leader. King Huai declared that whoever first entered the Qin capital and defeated its rulers would be titled “King of Guanzhong.” Liu Bang was the first to enter the capital and accepted the surrender of the Qin Emperor， Ziying. Though Xiang Yu later achieved a significant victory at the Battle of Julu， he arrived at the capital after Liu Bang. Liu Bang， with only 100，000 troops， faced Xiang Yu’s formidable 400，000 strong army. To avoid conflict， Liu Bang sought the mediation of Xiang Yu’s uncle， Xiang Bo， and personally attended the famous Hongmen Banquet to explain himself. During the banquet， Xiang Yu’s advisor， Fan Zeng， repeatedly raised a jade jue to urge Xiang Yu to act decisively and eliminate Liu Bang as a rival. The jade jue signaled the need for resolution and severance of ties. However， Xiang Yu hesitated， allowing Liu Bang to escape — a decision that ultimately sealed Xiang Yu’s downfall.

After the Qin and Han dynasties， jade jue virtually disappeared. Even when they were occasionally found， they served merely as small decorative items， no longer functioning as ear ornaments or symbols of severed relationships.

Shi Hongbo

Shi Hongbo is a teacher at the School of History and Culture of Tianjin Normal University who has engaged in teaching and research on ancient jade and the history of ancient material culture， and published many papers.