【Introduction】

   The four provinces of Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian and Hainan are commonly labeled the area of Hunan, yet Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Macao, formed for historical or political reasons, also belonging culturally and geographically to the Hunan area. Thus, seven provinces belong in this geographical category. Although these areas are not traditionally known to be rich in natural jade and stone resources, since antiquity these materials have been mined, including tremolite and actinolite nephrites, and other valued stones.

Currently, the earliest jade ornaments are those belonging to the Middle Neolithic Period. The Late Neolithic is represented by remains at Shicia, Maba, Qujiang County, Guangdong, covering 4000 sqm and including 132 burials, excavated from 1973 to 1979 and in 1985.

Ten tall and short cong were unearthed from Shixia Culture. An openwork jade huan decorated with serrated motif and worked on its inner wall, as well as, is comparable with Liangzhu prototypes. Cong, bi and huan are rarely seen in Shixia Culture burials at the delta of Pearl River.

Lower and middle strata remains at Tanshishan, Minhou County in Fujian are a coastal Late Neolithic Culture with two phases of development. Tanshishan Culture remains are influenced by both Liangzhu and Shixia Cultures.

From 1980 to 1988, some 1000 jades were unearthed from 1,523 stone plank coffins at the site of Beinan in Taidong County. The second excavation in 1998 at Baojingwan site in Zhuhai, Guangdong uncovered 204 ornaments, including jade slit rings and huan; crystal huang; stone pendants and ear pendants, and greenstone gui.

During Shang and Zhou Period, the numbers of workshops for producing jade and stone huan and slit rings increase at the mouth of Pearl River.

Many Eastern Zhou Period jade and stone artifacts come from the Nanning area in Guangxi. The slit ring type from Beinan, Taiwan has special characteristics. The large number of slit rings from the mouth Pearl River has various uses. Slit rings from Fujian are few in number. Jade and stone ge unearthed from Huanan sites, although a few may have been used, the majority appear to represent symbols of wealth and status.

Warring States or Qin to Han transition period tombs are known at Beiling, Songshan in Zhaoqing and Beifushan in Luoding. The height of jade-working in Huanan occurs during the Han Dynasty. For over fifty years, Han jades have been found in large numbers in tombs in both Guangdong and Guangxi. Few are known in Fujian and none so far have been published as coming from Hong Kong, Macal, Taiwan. The richest and most representative Han jades come from the tomb of King of Stage Nanyue in Guandong.

Han jades excavated from Guangxi sites are similar in technique, type and style to those from Guangdong, dating to the era of the Nanyue tomb and early phase of the Western Han.

During the era of the Three States, Jin and Southern Dynasties, jade artifacts slowly disappear. Ritual and ornamental jades are not seen and beads are rare. Jades dating to the Sui-Tang through Ming-Qing Periods are also few, represented, for example by a few burials in Guangdong and Guanxi.

The traditional grouping of jade and ritual types, popular during pre-Qin through Han times change during the Tang. Ornamental types predominate and replace ritual types in popularity. Raw jade sources during the Tang-Song through Qing eras were controlled by the royal house, with major restrictions on acquisition or production by commoners. During the Song and Yuan Dynasties cremation becomes popular. Jades are displayed in households for their worldly beauty, and jades in burials gradually decrease in type and number. Popularly carved motifs include flowers and plants, animals, landscapes, human figurines, and sometimes themes featuring poets waxing on the profundity of jade art.

【Main Contents】


Contents

Jades Unearthed from the areas of Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan
Chronology
1. Tube(cong)
2. Tube(cong)
3. Tube(cong)
4. Tube(cong)
5. Tube(cong)
6. Axe(yue)
7. Axe(yue)
8. Axe(yue)
9. Adze
10. Disc(bi)
11. Ring
12. Bracelet
13. Bracelet
14. Arc-shaped Pendant(huang)
15. Slit Ring(jue)
16. Slit Ring(jue)
17. Pair of Slit Rings(jue)
18. Slit Ring(jue)
19. Slit Ring(jue)
20. Slit Ring(jue)
21. Hairpin
22. Pendant
23. Spear Head
24. Collared Disc(bi)
25. Slit Ring(jue)
26. Fragment of a Slit Ring(jue)
27. Bracelet
28. Tubes
29. Pair of Slit Rings(jue)
30. Slit Ring(jue)
31. Fragment of a Silt Ring(jue)
32. Two Silt Rings(jue)
33. Silt Rings(jue)
34. Silt Rings(jue)
35. Silt Rings(jue)
36. Silt Rings(jue)
37. Silt Rings(jue)
38. Silt Rings(jue)
39. Silk Threaded Jade Shroud
40. Head Cover
41. Shroud Plates
42. Disc(bi)
43. Disc(bi)
44. Disc(bi)
45. Disc(bi)
46. Disc(bi)
47. Disc(bi)
48. Disc(bi)
49. Disc(bi)
50. Disc(bi)
51. Disc(bi)
52. Disc(bi)
53. Disc(bi)
54. Disc(bi)
55. Disc(bi)
56. Disc(bi)
57. Disc(bi)
58. Disc(bi)
59. Disc(bi)
60. Disc(bi)
61. Disc(bi)
62. Disc(bi)
63. Disc(bi)
64. Disc(bi)
65. Disc(bi)
66. Disc(bi)
67. Disc(bi)
68. Disc(bi)
69. Disc(bi)
70. Disc(bi)
71. Disc(bi)
72. Two Connected Discs(bi)
73. Arc-shaped Pendant(heng)
74. Arc-shaped Pendant(heng)
75. Arc-shaped Pendant(heng)
76. Arc-shaped Pendant(heng)
77. Arc-shaped Pendant(huang)
78. Arc-shaped Pendant(huang)
79. Arc-shaped Pendant(huang)
80. Arc-shaped Pendant(huang)
81. Pendant in the Shape of a Rhino
82. Ring
83. Ring
84. Ring With Openwork Dragons
85. Ring With Openwork Dragons
86. Slit Ring(jue)
87. Slit Ring(jue)
88. Square-shaped Slit Ring(jue)
89. Ornament in the Shape of a Dragon With a Hook
90. Pendant
91. Ring With Dragon And Phoenix Decoration
92. Pendant in the Shape of a Dragon
93. Pendant in the Shape of Dragon
94. Pendant in the Shape of Two Dragons
95. Pendant in the Shape of Two Dragons
96. Pendant in the Shape of a Tiger
97. Pendant in the Shape of an Animal Mask
98. Fish
99. Pointed Pendant(xi)
100. Pointed Pendant(xi)
101. Pendant in the Shape of a Flower Bud
102. Pendant in the Shape of Heart
103. Pendant in the Shape of Heart
104. Pendant in the Shape of Heart
105. Pendant in the Shape of Heart
106. Pendant in the Shape of Heart
107. Pendant in the Shape of Heart
108. Pendant in the Shape of Heart
109. Pendant in the Shape of Heart
110. Bead in the Shape of a Fish
111. Oval-shaped Tube
112. Oval-shaped Bead
113. Two Ornaments
114. Monkey
115. Pendant in the Shape of a Human
116. Pendant in the Shape of a Human
117. Three Pendants in the Shape of Humans
118. 118dancer
119. Dancer
120. Dancer
121. Dancer
122. 122dancer
123. Set of Pendants
124. Set of Pendants
125. Set of Pendants
126. Set of Pendants
127. Set of Pendants
128. Set of Pendants
129. Set of Pendants
130. Belt Hook in the Shape of a Dragon And a Tiger
131. Pair of Belt Hooks
132. Belt Hook With Analysis Iron Bar
133. Belt Hook
134. Belt Hook
135. King`s Seal
136. Seal
137. Cicada
138. Container
139. Vessel(zhi)With Bronze Frame
140. Lided Cup With Bronze Frame
141. Rhyton
142. Stem Cup With Bronze Plate-shape Stand
143. Pieces
144. Sword Pommel
145. Sword Pommel
146. Sword Pommel
147. Sword Pommel
148. Sword Pommel
149. Sword Pommel
150. Sword Pommel
151. Sword Pommel
152. Sword Guard
153. Sword Guard
154. Sword Guard
155. Sword Guard
156. Sword Guard
157. Sword Guard
158. Sword Guard
159. Sword Guard
160. Scabbard Slide
161. Scabbard Slide
162. Scabbard Slide
163. Scabbard Slide
164. Scabbard Slide
165. Scabbard Slide
166. Scabbard Chape
167. Scabbard Chape
168. Scabbard Chape
169. Scabbard Chape
170. Scabbard Chape
171. Scabbard Chape
172. Scabbard Chape
173. Scabbard Chape
174. Scabbard Chape
175. Scabbard Chape
176. Scabbard Chape
177. String of Beads
178. Beast
179. Ring With a Handle
180. Set of Pendants
181. Pig
182. Stick
183. Pendant With Butterfly Decoration
184. Spade
185. Spade
186. Six Slit Rings(jue)
187. Stem Cup
188. Seal
189. Disc(bi) With Chinese Characters〝宜子孙日益昌〞
190. Cicada
191. Pendant in the Shape of a Heart
192. Belt Hook And Belt Ring
193. String of Beads
194. String of Beads
195. Seal
196. Seal
197. Set of Belt Plaques
198. Incense-Burner
199. Cup
200. Pendant
201. Slit Ring(jue)
202. Disc(bi)
203. Belt Hook
204. Scarlet Bird
205. Belt Hook
206. Pair of Finger Rings
207. Hairpin
208. Ornament in the Shape of Coin
209. Plaque in the Shape of Butterfly
210. Disc(bi)
211. Plaques in the Shape of Flower
212. Pair of Plaques in the Shape of Chrysantheumums
213. Pair of Six-Lobed Plaques
214. Pair of Hand-Held Pieces
215. Nose Plug
216. Pair of Ear Plugs
217. Pair of Eye Covers
218. Pair of Soles
219. Anal Plug
220. Hairpin
221. Hairpin
222. Spade
223. Spade
224. Axe(yue)
225. Axe(yue)
226. Five Slit Rings(jue)
227. Dagger-axe(ge)
228. Dagger-axe(ge)
229. Scepter(zhang)
230. Ring
231. Eight Rings
232. Eight Slit Rings(jue)
233. Collared Disc(bi)
234. String of Ornaments
235. Drill Core
236. Fragment
237. Sixteen Slit Rings(jue)
238. Five Rectangular Slit Rings(jue)
239. Tube
240. Ornament in the Shape of Two Figures