The following article comes from Red Star New Culture, written by Xue Yang
"The Book of Rites: Yuzao" has a saying: "The ancient gentleman must admire jade", a small ornament, but it can be used as a reflection and epitome of social fashion. In ancient and modern times, China and foreign countries, according to the different product resources of their places, different manufacturing processes have been born, and then different spiritual concepts and aesthetic orientations have been born. Over the years, these different shapes and tones have also created today's colorful and beautiful world. In today's article, the visitors have made a deeper exploration of the different interests of China and foreign countries, which is the charm of the museum's exhibitions. We welcome everyone to have more in-depth study and exploration after viewing the exhibition, and to have something to think about, and to swim in the vast world brought by cultural relics with a happier attitude.
—Editor's note
The Chengdu Museum's special exhibition of "Elegance: 16th ~ 20th Century Collection Treasures Art Exhibition", which opened at the end of last month, exhibited more than 300 pieces of Chinese and foreign treasures from the 16th ~ 20th century, including exquisite jewelry boxes, dinner bags, powder boxes and other accessories, as well as necklaces, headdresses, brooches and other jewelry;
Emerald tiara on display at the "Elegance of Beauty" (V Muse Collection)
In this exhibition, which brings together many treasures from the East and the West, an invisible "contrast" also quietly emerges: in the face of sparkling and sparkling diamonds, emeralds and colored gemstones, Chinese jewelry as a whole appears less shiny, and the inlaid gems do not seem to be clearly cut and polished.
The Qing Dynasty gilt dot emerald inlaid treasure dragon and phoenix crown on display at the scene of "Elegance and Vientiane".
In addition to the original brilliance that has been dimmed by age, is this difference mainly due to the difference in craftsmanship or because of different aesthetic standards?
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Yang Xingxing, director of the Jewelry Testing Center of China University of Geosciences (Wuhan) and a well-known jewelry expert, believes that Chinese civilization has been deeply influenced by jade culture since ancient times, and has gradually formed an aesthetic completely different from that of the West.
Archaeological discoveries so far show that China is the first country in the world to recognize jade, and it is also the first country to use jade, ponder jade, and use jade as a ritual weapon, with a history of more than 8,000 years. Whether it is the Xinglongwa culture, the Hongshan culture or the Liangzhu culture, the importance and status of jade in the Neolithic culture of China are extremely prominent.
Known as the "first dragon in China", the C-shaped jade dragon of Hongshan culture
From the record of Confucius's discussion of the "eleven virtues" of jade in the Book of Rites, combined with early literary works such as the Book of Songs, it can be seen that the concept of linking "jade virtue" with the character of a gentleman had been formed in the Shang and Zhou dynasties at the latest. "A gentleman of words and thoughts, gentle as jade", has gradually become one of the moral standards of Confucianism.
Western Zhou Dynasty jade fish beaded charm unearthed in the cemetery of the Marquis of Jin in Quwo, Shaanxi
Therefore, the gentle and dignified temperament of jade has gradually become a base for the temperament of the Chinese nation. We advocate collectivism, do not like to show off and show off, when making jade, often use the natural color characteristics of jade to carve, will not be too pretentious. "In contrast, Western culture is more individualistic, pursuing shiny and transparent visuals, and focusing on showing off oneself." ”
The Jade Dragon of the Shang Dynasty (Collection of the National Museum of China)
In addition to giving conceptual value, the evaluation of jade or jewelry in ancient mainland China has always paid more attention to the quality of its raw materials than to the decoration of later periods.
As said in "Han Feizi Xie Lao" - the beauty of the He family is not decorated with five colors, and the pearl of the Marquis of Sui is not decorated with silver yellow. Its quality is beautiful, and things are not enough to decorate it. This is about the same internal logic as the good ingredients don't need to be seasoned with more spices.
Crystal agate charm of the Warring States period (collection of Shandong Museum)
Shining gemstones, of course, the ancients have seen it a long time ago. Yang Xingxing told reporters that during the two weeks, the nobles began to wear crystal jewelry with faceted facets. At that time, Chengdu also had a kind of gemstone charm or glass bead charm called "Sese". Du Fu also mentioned in the poem that "you don't see the west gate of Yizhou City...... Glass ornaments such as "dragonfly eyes" from West Asia were also introduced to the Central Plains during the Warring States Period, and the gold-making process from the Eurasian steppes was also mastered by Chinese craftsmen.
"As long as it is liked and needed by the people at that time, whether it is skills or raw materials, it will be absorbed and preserved. Yang Xingxing said.
The "dragonfly eyes" of the Warring States period unearthed in Chengdu
And the polishing process of gemstones is not difficult to learn. "Students like us who majored in related majors at the University of Geosciences will learn the craft of polishing faceted gemstones, and basically they can master it in twenty or thirty class hours. Yang Xingxing said, "A gemstone grinds out more than 50 facets, and it is easy." So in the final analysis, it's an active choice of aesthetics. ”
As a senior gem expert in the industry, Yang Xingxing is also observing the changes in Chinese's preference for jewelry since the reform and opening up. "More than 30 years ago, the counters of those jewelry stores were still full of white flowers, and platinum and diamonds were particularly popular. Later, colored gemstones began to appear in large numbers, and jewelry became more and more colorful. In recent years, the sales of jade have been rising, indicating that the Chinese people's preference for jade has always been there. ”
Unearthed in the tomb of King Liangzhuang of the Ming Dynasty in Hubei, the jade leaf group wears
If we talk about the peak of ancient Chinese jade manufacturing, it should be the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty: as large as a thousand catties, ten thousand catties of jade shanzi, small to exquisite, exquisite and transparent various ornaments and furnishings, all kinds of accessories, handles, etc., from the court to the people, can be seen everywhere, the production of jade more than any dynasty in history.
In addition to the background of relatively stable society and economic development at that time, because of the suppression of the rebellion in Xinjiang, the jade transportation channel from Yarkand to the interior was opened, so that the jade energy from Xinjiang was continuously transported to the capital, and the sufficient supply of jade raw materials was also guaranteed.
Autumn Mountain Travel Map Jade Mountain (Collection of the Palace Museum)
But the most important influencing factor was Emperor Qianlong's strong love for jade. Not only did he set up a palace workshop focused on making jade, but he also personally inspected the jade materials that were paid every year, and even personally reviewed the design drafts of jade. After the carving was completed, Qianlong would compose poems to praise the satisfactory works and the excellent jade objects collected, and some poems also asked the jade craftsman to engrave them on the jade pieces...... According to statistics, there are more than 800 poems about jade in Qianlong's poetry collection.
The hobby of the king of a country will inevitably greatly affect the attention of the court and even the people to jade. Based on this premise, in the court of the Qianlong period, there were many oversized pieces of "Yushanzi" (jade ornaments of mountain and forest landscapes), such as "Dayu Water Control Map", "Autumn Mountain Travel Map", "Huichang Nine Old Maps", "Khotan Jade Picking Maps", etc., which are all representative works of this period.
Yu Yu water control map Yushan (collection of the Palace Museum)
Among them, the most famous "Dayu water control map" is as high as more than 2 meters, weighs more than 10,000 catties, is carved with a whole piece of green jade produced in Xinjiang and Khotan Mileta Mountain, and is now displayed in the treasure hall of the Palace Museum.
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The British royal family, which has a large number of rare treasures, not only has the world's largest Cullinan diamond, but also the legendary "Koh-i-Noor" diamond. The former is mined in South Africa, while the latter comes from India. Since India's independence, the Indian people have been calling on Britain to return the diamond.
Among the countless treasures once owned by the Qing Dynasty royal family in China, the most famous and story-telling group is probably the Empress Dowager Cixi's jade watermelon.
American female painter Catherine Carr (1865~1938) painted a portrait of Cixi
said that Qianlong was a super collector of jade, and the Empress Dowager Cixi was the number one fan of jadeite. She is known for her love of jadeite, and the jadeite jewelry she wears can be seen in her photographs and portraits that have been circulated around the world. And when she was buried after her death, the treasure closest to her body was still jade.
According to Li Lianying's nephew Li Chengwu's "Aiyuexuan Notes", it is recorded that when the Empress Dowager Cixi was buried, a jade watermelon was placed on the left and right sides of her feet, "green skin, red flesh, black seeds, and white silk, about 2.2 million taels (silver)", in addition to jade melons, jade lotus leaves, jade Chinese cabbage, jade Buddha statues, jade peaches and other jade toys, etc., which shows how much Cixi loves jadeite.
Penglai Wonderland Jade Sendai Cixi's 60th Birthday Gift (Collection of the Palace Museum)
In 1928, because of the barbaric tomb robbery of the "Tanglin thief" Sun Dianying shocked the world, these treasures were all lost, and they have disappeared since then, becoming a sad permanent regret.
According to the analysis of gem mineralogist Wang Chunyun, the jade watermelon of the Empress Dowager Cixi is likely to be made of tourmaline, which has the reputation of "gem chameleon". In nature, the color combination characteristics of "green-skinned red flesh" are only found in bicolor tourmalines, while the internal characteristics of "black seed white silk" may come from the punctate black inclusions inside the tourmaline crystal and the white growth streaks that appear along the direction of crystal elongation.
The location of the coffin in the underground palace of Cixi Mausoleum in the Eastern Tomb of the Qing Dynasty in North Zunhua
More interesting information comes from abroad, according to the tourmaline trade data of the San Diego Museum of Natural History in the United States, from 1902 to 1908, the Empress Dowager Cixi asked the Qing court office to purchase tons of various colors of tourmaline from the United States almost every year, especially pink tourmaline.
By the time the Qing Dynasty fell in 1911, 120 tons of tourmaline had been imported from the United States. Most of these tourmalines are produced at the Ibaraya Tourmaline Mine in California, USA. After the Qing court's purchases came to an abrupt halt, the mine had to be closed down due to the loss of its largest customer, and it has only been redeveloped in recent years.
Pink tourmaline rough
In addition to the jade watermelon, the huge night pearl that Cixi held in her mouth when she was buried and could be divided into two halves is also famous. It is said that this bead was given to Song Meiling by Sun Dianying, and Song Meiling was divided into two halves and inlaid on a pair of shoes, and later it was collected by the American oil tycoon Rockefeller, but no one knows its final whereabouts so far.
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In the ancient historical records and folklore of the mainland, the existence of the Night Pearl is mentioned, but in the archaeological discoveries so far, there is no physical object that can match these legends, which doubles its mystery.
There is a wonderful dialogue in "The Records of the History of Tian Jingzhong's Complete Family", which takes place between King Qi Wei and King Wei Hui - when the two were hunting together in the field, King Wei asked King Qi, do you have any great treasures in your country?
After hearing the king of Qi say no, the king of Wei expressed surprise and boasted: although his country is small, there are still "pearls of diameter and inches, and ten of the twelve passengers in the front and rear of the car" - these 10 orbs with a diameter of about one inch and can illuminate several carriages in front and behind at night, which are obviously the "pearls of the night".
Blue-violet fluorite rough
In the research and speculation of later generations, the closest thing to this legend is a natural fluorite that can emit phosphorescence. But the light they emit is very faint, and it seems to be far from the brilliant luminous body that "hangs the pearl and hangs on all sides, and looks like a star during the day and the moon at night."
In addition, another version of the Night Pearl in ancient texts makes it even more mysterious.
Pu Songling once wrote a fantasy story about the big fish in the sea in "Strange Tales from Liao Zhai: Yu Ziyou": a high mountain suddenly appeared in the sea, and the residents on the shore were amazed. A Xiucai met an elegant young man at night, the latter said that he was the entourage of the "king", and when he said goodbye, Xiucai found that the boy jumped into the water, and it turned out to be a fish demon. The next day, the mountain peak floated, and after a while, it was submerged into the sea, and it was known that it was the "king of fish".
Put the Leya fish (i.e. whale) Qing Kangxi's book "Kunyu Diagram Says"
After that story, Pu Songling also added a stroke, saying that in the early years of Kangxi, there were also big fish that died on the beach in Shandong, "the fish are big and mu, and the wings and tails are all there", but only its eyes are missing. The deep eye sockets of the big fish were filled with seawater, and some people who went to cut the flesh of the fish accidentally fell into it and drowned...... The last sentence reads: "If the big fish in the sea is degraded, it will be removed, and the eyes will be the luminous pearl clouds." ”
Obviously, this is the literary creation of Pu Songling's legend of stranding the whale after artistic exaggeration, but there is also a record of "the whale dies and has no eyes, which can be identified, and it is called the night light". Therefore, some descendants speculate that the ancients may have obtained whale eyes infected with luminescent fungi in the sea and regarded them as the pearl of the night.
Compared with the night pearl, modern people's research on the famous "He's Bi" is more reliable.
Labradorite rough
According to the record of Bian He's offering of jade to the king of Chu, its origin should be in the area of Jingshan in present-day Hubei Province; according to the record of its "blue color when viewed from the side, and white when viewed from the front", it is quite consistent with the discolored labradorite found by geologists in the Shennongjia area, and it is likely to be a rare gem-quality labradorite.
Regrettably, although it is said to have been passed down for hundreds of years in the hands of successive emperors, this peerless gem has finally disappeared into the dust and smoke of history. Another legendary treasure that is slightly less well-known than it, the Suihou Zhu (also a glowing orb), may still be lit up in the mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang, reflecting the river of hundreds of tons of mercury in the underground palace, and countless other treasures that may never see the light of day.
(Source: Red Star New Culture)