Oriental Culture in Jade Bracelets

A bracelet, also known as a "bracelet", "bracelet", "arm ring", etc., is a ring-shaped ornament worn on the wrist. In addition to gold, silver, and jade, some are made of plant rattan. Bracelets have a long history and originated during the transition period from matriarchal society to patriarchal society. According to relevant documents, in ancient times both men and women wore bracelets, women as a symbol of marriage, and men as a symbol of status or job nature. In ancient society, people also believed that wearing bracelets could ward off evil or bring good luck.

Jade bracelets, as ornaments, first appeared in the Neolithic Age and have a history of nearly ten thousand years. Jade bracelets first appeared during the Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty and became popular in the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China. Jade bracelets are also called wrist rings. In ancient times, "bracelet" and "arm ring" were both called "bracelet". A "bracelet" is a ring-shaped ornament worn on the wrist, mostly worn by women; an "armband" is mostly used by men and is an arm ornament worn on the elbow joint. In modern times, "arm rings" are no longer common.

From the Sui and Tang Dynasties to the Song Dynasty, it was very common for women to decorate their arms with bracelets, which were called armlets. The Procession of Emperor Taizong to Meet Emperor Xuanzong by Yan Liben, a painter from the early Tang Dynasty, and the Ladies with Flowers in Their Hair by Zhou Fang, both clearly depict women wearing armlets. This was not limited to the court nobility, but common people were also very keen on it. According to historical records, Cui Guangyuan led his troops to attack Duan Zizhan. The soldiers looted everywhere and when they saw women, they cut off their arms and took away their armlets. It can be seen that there were quite a few women wearing armlets at that time.

In the early years of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang sent his adopted son General Mu Ying to attack Luchuan (around the China-Myanmar border), further opening up the passage from Tengchong to the jade field. As a result, the amount of jade entering Yunnan increased dramatically, and a large amount of jade was imported into the Central Plains. Due to geographical reasons, women in Yunnan prefer jade bracelets the most, followed by Sichuan, Guizhou and Guangxi. By the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Republic of China, jade bracelets had become a must-have item for women in Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan, and Guangxi. When a daughter gets married, a jade bracelet must be included in the dowry from her parents. When a woman from a wealthy family died, jade bracelets were often included in her burial objects.

Among modern Chinese, ladies from Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau are the most common group of Chinese who own jade bracelets. Modern fashionable women have begun to trace back to the custom of "no bracelet, no marriage" from a hundred years ago in the south. This fashion concept of returning to nature has also quickly spread to the north. The idea of ​​using jade bracelets as a token of trust and maintaining the emotional bond between two parties stems from the cultural connotations of the jade bracelets themselves. The jade bracelet is round in shape, symbolizing endlessness, eternal circle, harmony, and never-ending love. Therefore, when a man and a woman get married, in order to express their everlasting love, the woman wears a jade bracelet and goes to the marriage hall with the man she loves. This Eastern wedding custom of using jade bracelets to express everlasting love seems more real, appropriate, and charming than the Western diamond wedding ring culture.

If we trace back to the origins, we will find that Western wedding rings and Eastern wedding bracelets are actually exactly the same, both originating from ring-shaped ornaments. The early engagement tokens of ancient Westerners were just an iron ring, which later developed into diamond rings. And wedding rings are only given between lovers. The jade bracelets of Oriental people not only have the connotation of wedding customs and culture, but also are the continuation of family affection. Female elders pass on the jade bracelets they love all their lives to their daughters, daughters-in-law... and then pass them down from generation to generation, forever. This is the never-ending emotional meaning of the jade bracelets.

fcgc66

fcpf18