Wen 丨 何枰凭
(Lixian Xinzhou M1 group jade pendant attracts visitors.) The exhibition will run until April 5. Photo by Gu Pengbo)
The beauty of stone is jade.
China is the world's first country to produce and use jade, because jade has the natural characteristics of warm nature, hard texture and meticulous texture, historically, people have personified the characteristics of jade and given the moral standards of Confucian culture, as a spiritual culture has been respected by generations of benevolent gentlemen. As a material culture, jade is widely used in sacrifice, ceremonies, funerals, decoration and other fields. It is an important part of Chinese civilization and has rich cultural connotations. In order to disseminate the 9,000-year-old glorious history of jade culture and show the spiritual temperament of Chinese jade culture, Changsha Museum held the first "Ancient Chinese Jade Culture Exhibition" in our province under the name of "Jade Soul". The exhibition takes the historical time as the context, through 410 pieces (groups) of fine cultural relics, divides the development history of Chinese jade for thousands of years into four parts: prehistory, Xia Shang and Western Zhou, Spring and Autumn Warring States Qin and Han, and Wei and Jin after the Southern and Northern Dynasties to the Qing Dynasty, telling the connotation embodied in jade, as well as the characteristics of sanctification, ceremonialization, moralization and aestheticization presented in the development process of Chinese jade, showing the unique Chinese jade culture.
Differentiation from stone tools to "ceremony with jade"
The production of jade is born from the production of stone tools, which is the result of continuous exploration by human beings under the guidance of primitive beauty. As early as the late Paleolithic period, the concept of beauty has been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, when the ancestors of the identification of stone has a deeper understanding, although it is not yet possible to produce real jade, but there is no doubt that the long-term practice has enabled the ancestors to accumulate a large number of basic experience in identifying stone or jade, invented a new method of processing stone tools such as grinding and drilling, and then gradually bred a brilliant jade culture on this basis.
(Yuqi Neolithic Daxi culture (6500-5300 years ago), 2004-2005 Hongjiang Gaomiao upper cultural site M27 excavated hunan provincial institute of cultural relics and archaeology collection)
According to archaeological materials, the earliest jade artifacts on the mainland appeared at the Xiaonanshan site in Raohe County, Shuangyashan City, a northeastern border of Heilongjiang Province, 9,000 years ago, and their discovery has become the most powerful proof of the systematic use of jade in East Asia. By the late Neolithic period, the first peak of development of Chinese jade was formed in the vast half-moon coastal area of the LiaoHe River Basin in the east of the mainland and from the Shixia culture in Guangdong in the south, of which the Hongshan culture and the Liangzhu culture jade, which was similar to the 5500-5000 years ago, were the most developed, whether it was the atmosphere of hongshan jade, simple and lifelike, or the exquisite fineness, deep and rigorous of Liangzhu jade, which represented the highest achievement of Chinese prehistoric jade production.
As a Neolithic ancient site in Hunan, the era of the accumulation of the main culture of Sunjiagang site belongs to the early and middle remnants of Shijiahe culture between 3800 and 4200 years ago. At that time, in the central plains, China's first dynasty, the Xia Dynasty, was being conceived and born, and the king's qi gradually changed, making the traditional cultural outlook of the entire middle reaches of the Yangtze River region that lasted for more than a thousand years suddenly changed, and the popularity of various types of exquisite jade was the most conspicuous sign of this change.
(Fang tooth deity jade plaque decoration Neolithic Xiaojia roof ridge culture (2100-1700 BC), 2018-2019 Lixian Sunjiagang site M149 excavated Hunan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology Collection)
A jade plaque of a fanged deity unearthed at the Sunjiagang site is the most characteristic jade in this exhibition. Its ornamentation on both sides is exactly the same, and it is decorated with the yin and yang patterns of the gods and men exposed by the fangs of the head with a high crown. Its human face shape, all facial features are prepared, but the giant eyes and fangs, vicious and fierce, are daunting, creating the image of the "god ancestor" in the hearts of the ancestors. The use of fangs to express divinity is a common phenomenon in the prehistoric art modeling of the mainland. The ancestors believed that the addition of fangs to the human face shape could not only give people divinity, but also elevate people to gods, highlighting the mystery and authority of tribal leaders. Xia Dynasty, as the first slave country in Chinese history, its archaeological culture is still being explored, and at present, it can be basically presumed that the Jade of the Xia Dynasty is only the jade excavated from the Site of Yanshi Erlitou in Henan.
Xia Dynasty jade has played a role in the history of the development of Chinese jade, and some symbolic weapons and tools are very similar to those of the Shang Dynasty. The jade qi and jade qi excavated from the site of Yanshi Erlitou Xiadu in the exhibition were born from weapons, and although they no longer had practical functions, they were highly valued by the ruling class at that time as honor guards symbolizing the authority of the king. As the standard of Xia Dynasty jade, they made an excellent display to the audience. In the Shang Dynasty, with the widespread use of bronze tools, jade soon stepped onto a new level, and techniques such as cutting, grinding, drilling, and polishing have reached a high level. By the late Shang Dynasty, Chinese jade had reached its second peak since the Hongshan and Liangzhu cultures, and the variety of jade, the refinement of craftsmanship, and the quality of the materials were unique, which had a profound impact on the production of jade for future generations.
(Jade fish Shang (1600 BC - 1046 BC), excavated in 1973 from the Hunan Provincial Museum of Huangwu, Ningxiang County)
A large number of jade carved animals and portraits, most of which use the technique of front-sided silhouettes, highlight the main characteristics of jade carving objects, use accurate contour lines, and carve out vivid artistic images, which are similar to the expression techniques and styles of modern paper-cutting art. In 1973, a piece of jade fish excavated from the three acres of yellow material in Ningxiang County, the whole body is curved, the surrounding body is engraved with cloud patterns, arc lines, etc., the lines are smooth, the form is realistic, and it is a typical feature of the "paper-cutting art" of Shang Dynasty jade, and the concise and accurate shape fully reflects the high unity of the Shang Dynasty jade carving and the transmission of the gods.
From "Li Tiandi" to "Re-carving"
The Western Zhou Dynasty was an era when Chinese jade was moving towards ceremonial system, and the strict patriarchal system, etiquette concept, and hierarchical gap made jade lose the vividness and slightly dullness of the late Shang Dynasty. Its carving skills are in line with the Shang Dynasty, and while inheriting the double line outline of the Shang Dynasty, it also gave birth to a new development trend, and created a technique of engraving a thick line or a thin yin line on a slope.
(Jade Owl Western Zhou (1046-771 BC), excavated from luoyang north kiln in 1964, luoyang museum collection)
The owl, also known as chī xiāo, is an ancient general term for birds such as owls. Because of its habit of being active at dusk or at night, it is also known as "night owls". The ancestors regarded it as a sacred bird with the effect of warding off evil spirits, believing that after death, the soul could break free from the shackles of the body and follow the guidance of the owl to soar freely and gain rebirth. This time, a round carved jade owl excavated from the Luoyang North Kiln was exhibited, the tip of the mouth was folded down in a hook shape, the two corners seemed to echo the downward curl, the tail was upturned, the feet were squatting, and the surrounding tattoos were treated by the double hook method. The whole piece of utensils is round and solid, lifelike, and skillful and refined, which is a rare round carved jade masterpiece in the Western Zhou Dynasty.
The Spring and Autumn Warring States period was not only a period of great political division on the mainland, but also a stage of rapid development of culture and art. The jade culture of this period, like other cultures, flourished in the land of China. At this time, jade is not only a luxury exclusive to the upper ruling class, but also has begun to show a certain tendency to popularize, from the emperor to the general, down to the common people, all of them regard jade as precious and jade as treasure. On the whole, the Spring and Autumn Jade is calm and dull compared to the Warring States Jade in terms of composition, shape, and dynamic changes.
As for the Warring States, whether it is the shape layout, or the flat and corner design, it is full of strong dynamics and vigorous vitality, which is the spirit of the Warring States era, and it is also the ideology, temperament and culture of the Warring States people. At this time, jade has been organically combined with etiquette, and the humble gentleman takes jade as a model, "the gentleman has no reason, the jade does not go to the body", and the jade pendant has become the most popular decoration. And with the emergence and spread of the ideas of animism and ghosts, it brought about the prevalence of funerary customs, in addition to the living can enjoy jade, after death, people also sew jade on the fabric to cover the tomb owner. In the Warring States jade, the dragon and phoenix shape with a large twist of the body, and the tiger-shaped jade pendant with an open mouth and a straight chest are the most beautiful and typical, showing a strong and strong momentum and strength. It can be said that the meticulous carving and the tension-filled shape complement each other breathtakingly.
(Through-carved double-sided dragon pattern jade pendant Warring States (475 BC - 221 BC), 1987 Changsha Bayi Road Primary School M1 excavated Changsha Museum collection)
During the Qin and Han dynasties, especially the han dynasty jade, it has begun to abandon the shackles of the traditional etiquette concept of the Zhou Dynasty, and on the basis of inheriting the traditional characteristics of the Warring States jade, it has absorbed more of the free and romantic characteristics of the Jade of the Chu Culture, and integrated the majestic and bold style of the Han Dynasty jade, giving it a richer connotation, embarking on the road of free and vigorous development, making the two Han Dynasties the third peak of The development of Chinese jade. During this period, the use of high relief and circular carvings increased significantly, and the techniques of skeletonization and polishing have reached a very high level. Whether it is the bold, concise and sharp "Han Eight Knives", or the "gossamer drawing" with lines like hairs and fine strength, they all became the main carving techniques at that time. According to the shape and use of Han jade, it can be roughly divided into four categories: ceremonial jade, decorative jade, burial jade and decorative jade, of which the jade sword is a very distinctive category of Han Dynasty jade.
(Jade sword Western Han Dynasty (206 BC - 8 AD), 1955 Changsha Rongyuan M13 excavated Hunan Provincial Museum collection)
Because the Han Dynasty people paid more attention to the sword, the jade sword ornament was extremely popular in the Han Dynasty, and the sword ornament was decorated with animal-shaped ornaments such as tiger patterns, animal face patterns and phoenix patterns to highlight the grace and nobility of the Nobles of the Han Dynasty. The sword decorated or inlaid with jade is called the "jade sword", and the complete jade sword is composed of four jade ornaments: sword head, sword grid, sword sword, and sword dragon. The head of the sword is a jade ornament embedded in the hilt of the sword; The sword grid is embedded in the intersection of the hilt and the sword body, which has the meaning of hand protection and barrier; The sword is fixed to the scabbard for wearing and wearing; The sword is mounted at the tail end of the scabbard.
A set of jade sword ornaments unearthed in Changsha City on display this time closely combines a variety of sword techniques, the sword head is engraved with cloud qi patterns, and the sword, sword grid and sword dragon pattern are respectively high relief, which are ingenious in conception, full of charm, and very exquisite. It is the only complete set of jade swords found in Hunan and is a symbol of the noble status of the Han Dynasty.
From nobles to commoners
During the Three Kingdoms and two Jin Dynasties, people often made various charms with jade and amber, and the image of the beast was "dumb and cute", driving away evil spirits and avoiding evil. However, due to the political chaos and economic depression at that time, China's jade craftsmanship entered a trough. After experiencing the social turmoil of the Southern and Northern Dynasties of the Wei and Jin Dynasties, the great integration between ethnic groups, and accompanied by political unity and economic prosperity, coupled with the west wind and the eastward wind, Chinese jade finally came out of the trough after three or four hundred years of wandering, ushering in the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty.
In the fifth dynasty of the Sui and Tang dynasties, Pei Yu made many flowers, birds and animal ornaments, a vibrant, graceful and luxurious weather, and very interesting. With the prosperity of the urban economy and the expansion of the citizen class, jade in the Song, Liao, Xia, Jin and Yuan dynasties became increasingly secular, and the jade control techniques at this time had reached a very high level.
Jade workers of the Song Dynasty are good at decorating realistic flowers, birds, fish and insects and mountain and forest scenery, and the jade pictures and pictures are both gods and gods. During the Liaojin and Yuan dynasties, the jade national characteristics were distinctive, and the style was majestic and magnificent, which was in harmony with the Song jade. Due to the identity of historical time and space, the Cultures of the Han People in the Central Plains and the Khitan and Jurchen Ethnic Groups with a considerable degree of civilization in the north blend and complement each other, which determines some consistency of the jade style. In that historical period, "Chunshui" and "Qiushan" jade can be said to be widely circulated and typically representative. Spring water, Autumn Mountain themes originated from the northern nomads four seasons of fishing and hunting activities of the "bowl system", the earliest appeared in the Liao Dynasty, prevailed in the Jin Yuan period, they show the natural features of the northern grassland mountain forest, record the real scene of birds and animals running freely, is a true portrayal of the life of the Khitan and Jurchen people, full of simple mountain forest wild fun and rich northern national atmosphere, is a very characteristic of the steppe nomad jade works. A piece of "Song Sculpture Panasonic Double Deer Figure Jade Ornament" hidden in the Changsha Museum is a typical "Qiushan Jade" work with the theme of mountain forest conception. It takes the double deer as the theme, with pine cypress as the foil, the picture is simple and natural, the artistic conception is quiet and elegant, depicting a scene of autumn high and refreshing in the wilderness of the mountains and forests.
(Skeletonized Panasonic double deer pattern jade ornament Song (960-1279 AD) Changsha Museum collection)
During the Ming and Qing dynasties, especially during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, with the love of emperors, the admiration of literati, the smooth flow of jade roads, and the increasing prosperity of the production and marketing market, jade became a treasure and elegant object that was worn by the emperor and down to the commoners.
Jade production in the technique of the excellent tradition and painting, gold and silver processing and other advanced techniques integrated, no matter the beauty of jade, the essence of carving, the variety, the wide range of applications are unprecedented, it concentrates on the 9,000 years of jade culture of China, representing the highest achievement of ancient Chinese jade level, becoming the highest peak of China's jade development. Ming and Qing jade, pay attention to "the picture must be intentional, the meaning must be auspicious", which is vividly reflected in the jade. A Piece of Ming Dynasty folded branch peony pattern jade belt buckle on this exhibition, the left and right two pieces are carved with a folded branch peony flower, large flowers and large leaves, dense and decent; Coupled with the fact that the jade is white, warm and delicate, polished well, and the craftsmanship is exquisite, it is a fine product of ming dynasty jade.
(Folded branch peony pattern jade belt buckle Ming (1368-1644 AD) Changsha Museum collection)
In the ancient jade of the mainland, jade vessels are a type of jade with the highest artistic value, due to the high requirements for jade, the difficulty of craftsmanship, the Sui and Tang Dynasties have been relatively rare before, the number of Song and Yuan periods has increased, and until the Ming and Qing dynasties, jade vessels appeared in large quantities. Due to the qianlong emperor's favor, a large number of imitation Islamic style jade vessels that fused Chinese and Western cultures also appeared during this period. A beautiful Qing Dynasty silver-encrusted agate jasper jug in the Changsha Museum is carved from a whole piece of jasper, with 24 chrysanthemum petals carved throughout, and the petals are evenly and smoothly depicted, with an error of less than 0.1 mm per petal. There is a stream on one side of the jade pot, on which the yin line depicts the pattern of seawater clouds, and on the other side, it is carved with the shape of the dragon spraying water, which is very dynamic and tense. The lid is made of silver, inlaid with red onyx and jasper rings, and the red beaded jasper and silver lid contrast with each other. The whole utensil is round and smooth, with a moist feeling of "caressing without leaving hands", the inner chamber of the jade pot is thick and thin, and the secondary parts such as the bottom and feet are carved without leaving "dead corners", which can be described as meticulous.
This holding pot is different from the traditional jade pot, it has the Jade Making Style of the Qianlong Period TraceDustan Jade, which shows the jade carving characteristics of the Qianlong Period "craftsmanship, jade run, color, and beauty" vividly, and is a unique and rare treasure in the Jade Ware of the Qing Dynasty.
(Silver onyx lid chrysanthemum petal pattern jasper holding pot Qing (1644-1911 AD) Changsha Museum collection)
Jade as one of the national treasures of the Chinese nation, after 9,000 years of inheritance and development, from the prehistoric simplicity and clumsiness to the Qin and Han dynasties, and then developed to the Ming and Qing Dynasty's exquisite kitsch, broad and profound, is the product of different eras, different ideas and concepts, as a magnificent heritage in the treasure house of ancient Chinese culture, it is accompanied by Chinese civilization, and will continue to shine in traditional Chinese culture with its highly gorgeous posture, writing a bright chapter.
(The author is an associate research librarian of Changsha Museum and the executive curator of "Jade Soul - Ancient Chinese Jade Culture Exhibition")