Jadeite Culture Chinese Culture and Jade Culture

Joseph Needham, a famous British historian of Chinese science and technology, said: "The love of jade can be said to be one of the characteristics of Chinese culture." Although jade culture has existed in different parts of the world since ancient times, including Guatemala, Japan and South Korea, the modern jade market is mostly dominated by Chinese. This is because Chinese people have a deep cultural connection with jade. Chinese people love jade, and their love for jade, from nephrite to jadeite, is generally referred to as "jade culture." Jade culture has an inseparable relationship with Chinese culture. People today appreciate and value jade for love, beauty, to ward off evil, and to preserve its value.

Jade has many meanings in China. The myth of Nuwa mending the sky illustrates the truth that it is difficult to mend the relationship between man and nature. The story of the Heshi Bi in Han Feizi tells people about the experience of having talent but not being recognized for it. "Returning the Jade Intact to Zhao" is a true story in history. It is recorded that the King of Qin almost caused a brutal war for a piece of beautiful jade. The Han Dynasty used the imperial seal as a symbol of power. Emperor Wu of Han's younger brother, King Jing of Zhongshan, Liu Sheng, and his wife Dou Wan, were buried in jade coffins after their death (that is, the golden brocade clothes that were popular in Mancheng, Hebei), thinking that they could achieve eternal life or rebirth. Confucianism advocates the use of jade and wearing jade to cultivate virtue, imitating the warmth and softness of jade, with implicit beauty both in appearance and inwardness; Taoism teaches people to eat jade and take cold stone powder, believing that this can help maintain health and prolong life, and even use jade coffins and jade boxes for burial, believing that this can help one enter the realm of immortality. However, the use of jade by the people is mostly related to love or appreciation, either as a token of love, or as a family heirloom, or for playing with and appreciation. The ingenuity of jade craftsmen throughout the ages has made the stubborn stone imbued with emotion and the jade shine. The jade artefacts they crafted have become a favorite of the Chinese people. They can be enjoyed while also conveying emotions, forming a unique jade culture for the Chinese people.

Chinese people have been using jade since the Paleolithic Age. Nobles used jade as clothing when buried in the ground. The ancients likened jade to a gentleman among stones. Confucius said that jade has ten virtues, and further compared the characteristics of jade with those of a gentleman, making jade a noble treasure in Chinese culture. Beautiful jade has become synonymous with noble virtues. Chinese people not only love jade, play with jade, and collect jade, but also cherish jade. The ancients believed that wearing jade had the function of warding off evil spirits and curing diseases. The Chinese jade carving craftsmanship is unparalleled in the world. Most jadeite craftsmanship is based on the preferences of the Chinese people, and the meaning contained in it is closely related to the traditional customs of the Chinese people. Therefore, jade culture (including jadeite) can be said to be a microcosm of the Chinese spirit, civilization, social values ​​and craftsmanship for thousands of years. Despite this, other cultures have a low awareness of the value of jade, and jade craftsmanship is stuck in the themes of Chinese culture, making it difficult for some Western cultural consumers to resonate with it.

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