Ancient Chinese Jade - Chinese Symbol for Love

December 09, 2010- Ancient Chinese jade is also the Chinese Symbol for Love because it enhances culture and humanity. Jade is actually the Chinese jade and there is a popular Chinese saying that goes like this


Jade stone has been defined in the first Chinese dictionary the Shuo Wen Jie Zi by Xu Zhen (about 58-147) as a very beautiful stone. Jade stone can be classified as a soft (nephrite) and hard jade stone (jadeite). The soft jade come from China where as the hard one is from Burma.

Chinese jade is as old as Chinese civilization as most of the jade objects have also found from the period of early Neolithic (about 5000 BC). These excavated items of Jade were from Hemudu culture in Zhejian Province.

Chinese use Jade stone for different purposes like as tool, as talismans in many rituals. Chinese also admire Jade for its musical, mystical, translucent color and protective powers. The Jade cicadas were also kept on dead body of the emperors as it was though to prevent decomposition.

Rich luster and very warm appearance further make the Chinese jade a beautiful stone that can be carved into different shapes. Jade stone since ages has been part of every Chinese irrespective of class and it is considered as a connection between heaven and earth.

Chinese Jade Meaning and Importance

The Jade got its name from the Chinese word 'yu'. 'ying yu' is used for the hard jade or jadeite and 'ruan yu' for soft jade or nephrite.

As per ancient Chinese metaphysics the heaven was thought to be round and the earth square. So to honor the gods of heaven a round ceremonial jade with the hole called pi was created whereas to honor the spirits of earth an elongated hollow jade ornament having rectangular sides called ts’ung was made.

Chinese Jade History

Chinese Jade has been used in almost all the periods of Chinese history with different decorative characteristics for different period. Chinese Jade for Neolithic Period are very simple

Jade used in Shang (18th - 12th century BC), Zhou (1111 - 255 BC), and Han (206 BC - AD 220) dynasties are very decorative and full of embellishment.

Chinese Jade was also used as burial suite. Liu Sheng, the ruler of the Zhongshan State (113 BC) was also buried in the jade burial suit consisting of 2,498 pieces of jade that were sewn with gold threads.

Chinese sacrificial vessels were used as jade wares and buried with dead.

Even this stone is used to make musical instruments like flute, yuxiao (a vertical jade flute) and jade chime.

Chinese Jade Dragon

The phoenix and the dragon are the very important animals in Chinese culture and for this reason these jade stone is used as a material to make the phoenix and the dragon. Dragon is also considered as the ruler of scaly animals who is always seen chasing the jewel. Either the dragons fight for the jewel to posses it or they grasp it in their claws. The jewel for which they fight is the jade thus Chinese jade dragon.

Chinese jade jewelry is getting very popular. You can get the carved jade pendants, in different varieties.