【Introduction】

   Gansu, Qinghai, and Ningxia, located in the west part of China, have similar terrain and climate. Although the eastern part of Gansu and Ningxia are usually identified with the middle valley of the Yellow River, reflexively from a geographical point of view Gansu, Qinghai, Ningxia are viewed as a single cultural entity belonging to the upper reaches of the Yellow River and collectively are called areas of the upper Yellow River valley.

Xinjiang occupies the northwestern most part of China, and is an area with one of the most advanced jade types. Although jades have only belatedly been unearthed in Xinjiang, the area is the single most important source for the finest and purest quality jade, known as Hetian yu, a tremolite nephrite of translucent white.
1. Areas of Gansu, Qinghai and Ningxia
The earliest jades(jade is equivalent in meaning to beautiful stone) in this area of northwest China are turquoise and marble pendants, unearthed at the Yangshao Culture site of Dadiwan in Qin’an, Gansu.

With the Qijia Culture, jade-working enters a new stage of development. Jade works of art representing this phase are large, rich in quality and amazing. Stone and jade artifacts, accompanying burials from the site of Huangniangniangtai in Wuwei, Gansu not only include a large amount of stone worked types but also other materials, such as marble, with only a few ruanyu or Nephrite jade pieces.

As if all of a sudden of interest to scholars is that Qijia Culture remains have a large number of important ritual jade types that show major influences from eastern cultures. The most popular Qijia Culture jade type is the bi (includes both bi and huang types) of many forms. The cong gradually disappears, and although in number they are substantial they are not in comparison with the bi.

No flourishing jade culture on par with that of Qijia is known after the Qijia Culture, during the Shang and Zhou eras. Occasional jade finds are known, as represented by jade artifacts from the Siba Culture.

One of the highlights of Zhou and Qin Period sites in Gansu, and belongs to several prehistoric cultures related with Zhou and Qin.
A large number of Han through Wei Jin period tombs yet with few jades have been discovered in the upper reaches of the Yellow River valley in Gansu, Qinghai and Ningxia.
Representative of the Sui and Tang eras are jades from several Tang tombs in the southern suburbs of Guyuan in Ningxia. Guyan is an important center along the Silk Road. The trade route of jade is the same as the Silk Road, but major changes are witnessed in new types and multiple guises of jades during these later periods.
2. Area of Xinjian
Jades from Xinjian in large part do not predate 3000 years ago. Ornamental jade beads are probably the earliest type known, and may date is not less from this period.
Xinjiang jades are primarily Hetian jade yet despite this plentiful source, this area did not serve as the origin of a jade culture. Rather jade cultures of the eastern part of the Yellow River valley influenced this area’s production. Xinjiang jades from prehistoric and Bronze Age Culture sites consist primarily of jade tools or small-scale ornaments. Preliminary examination shows the workmanship is not high in quality nor is the jade of particularly high quality, as if to suggest that the value of Hetian jade had not been realized. No jade culture or center producing ritual jade types appear presented in Xinjiang.

Xinjiang overlaps with Central Asia along China’s border. From archeological discovery it appears that Xinjiang entered the Neolithic rather belatedly and with the appearance of a mixed character.

The Hetian jade mined in the mountain veins of Kunlun Mountains in Xinjiang in large part begin to appear transmitted piecemeal to certain areas along the upper river valley of the Yellow River and even as far as the Yangtz and Han River valley in 6000-5000B.

Hetian jade began to be transported to Shang and Zhou Cultures in the Central Plains 3000 years ago since jades from tombs are identifiable as this type of material.

The few jades that are known from periods after about 3000 years ago are represented by site and tomb remains.

【Main Contents】


Contents

Jades Unearthed from the areas of Gansu, Qinghai, Ningxia and Xinjiang
Chronology
1. Disc(bi)
2. Disc(bi)
3. Disc(bi)
4. Disc(bi)
5. Disc(bi)
6. Disc(bi)
7. Disc(bi)
8. Disc(bi)
9. Disc(bi)
10. Disc(bi)
11. Disc(bi)
12. Ring(bi)
13. Disc(bi)
14. Ring
15. Ring
16. Ring
17. Ring
18. Ring
19. Ring
20. Ring
21. Ring
22. Disc(bi)
23. Set of Three Arc-shaped Pendants
24. Set of Three Arc-shaped Pendants
25. Arc-shaped Pendant(huang)
26. Arc-shaped Pendant(huang)
27. Arc-shaped Pendant(huang)
28. Tube(cong)
29. Tube(cong)
30. Tube(cong)
31. Tube(cong)
32. Tube(cong)
33. Tube(cong)
34. Tube(cong)
35. Tube(cong)
36. Tube(cong)
37. Tube(cong)
38. Tube(cong)
39. Blade
40. Spade
41. Axe
42. Axe
43. Spade
44. Spade
45. Spade
46. Adze
47. Adze
48. Chisel
49. Chisel
50. Tube-shaped Object
51. Drill Core
52. Finial of a Scepter
53. Chisel
54. Spade
55. Axe
56. Chisel
57. Chisel
58. Bar-shaped Object
59. Round Ornament
60. Disc(bi)
61. Arc-shaped Pendant(huang)
62. Tablet(gui)
63. Dagger-axe(ge)
64. Dagger-axe(ge)
65. Axe(yue)
66. Object in the Shape of a Handle
67. Pendant in the Shape of a Human
68. Pendant in the Shape of a Tiger
69. Pendant in the Shape of a Cicada
70. Pendant in the Shape of a Cicada
71. Pendant in the Shape of a Bird
72. Pendant in the Shape of a Fish
73. Pendant in the Shape of a Fish
74. Pendant in the Shape of a Fish
75. Pendant in the Shape of a Fish
76. Pendant in the Shape of a Fish
77. Tube(cong)
78. Slit Ring(jue)
79. Ornament
80. Object in the Shape of a Handle
81. Pendant in the Shape of a Fish
82. Arc-shaped Pendant(huang)
83. Tube(cong)
84. Disc(bi)
85. Disc(bi)
86. Disc(bi)
87. Disc(bi)
88. Disc(bi)
89. Disc(bi)
90. Disc(bi)
91. Disc(bi)
92. Disc(bi)
93. Disc(bi)
94. Disc(bi)
95. Disc(bi)
96. Disc(bi)
97. Disc(bi)
98. Disc(bi)
99. Pair of Arc-shaped Pendants(huang)
100. Pair of Arc-shaped Pendants(huang)
101. Pair of Arc-shaped Pendants(huang)
102. Arc-shaped Pendant(huang)
103. Pair of Arc-shaped Pendants(huang)
104. Arc-shaped Pendant(huang)
105. Pair of Arc-shaped Pendants(huang)
106. Pair of Arc-shaped Pendants(huang)
107. Tablet(gui)
108. Human Figurine
109. Human Figurine
110. Scabbard Slide
111. Pig
112. Cicada
113. Tube
114. Belt Hook
115. Spindle Whorl
116. Recumbent Ram
117. Hairpin
118. Belt Hook
119. Scepter(gui)
120. Pair of Arc-shaped Pendants(heng)
121. Hairpin
122. Set of Belt Plaques
123. Pendants
124. Pendant
125. Disc(bi)
126. Ring
127. Ring
128. Ring
129. Ring
130. Ring
131. Ring
132. Disc(bi)
133. Disc(bi)
134. Disc(bi)
135. Disc(bi)
136. Disc(bi)
137. Disc(bi)
138. Set of Three Arc-shaped Pendants
139. Set of Three Arc-shaped Pendants
140. Disc(bi)
141. Ring
142. Ring
143. Disc(bi)
144. Disc(bi)
145. Ring
146. Core of a Disc(bi)
147. Core of a Tube(cong)
148. Blade
149. Blade
150. Blade
151. Blade
152. Blade
153. Blade
154. Spade
155. Spade
156. Spade
157. Spade
158. Adze
159. Chisel
160. Axe
161. Axe
162. Spade
163. Axe
164. Adze
165. Chisel
166. Chisel
167. Bar-shaped Object
168. Processed Material
169. Triangular Piece
170. Round Piece
171. Processed Material
172. Processed Material
173. Processed Material
174. Tube
175. Spindle Whorl
176. Tube
177. Bead
178. Bead
179. Tube
180. Pendant
181. Hairpin
182. Hairpin
183. Axe
184. Spade
185. Disc(bi)
186. Set of Three Arc-shaped Pendants
187. Tube(cong)
188. Plaque
189. Necklace
190. Pendant in the Shape of a Dragon
191. Pair of Gold Earrings With Turquoise Inlay
192. Eight Beads
193. Hairpin
194. Hairpin
195. Pendant
196. Hairpin Finial in the Shape of a Flower
197. Ornament in the Shape of a Bird
198. Hairpin Finial in the Shape of Flowers
199. Hairpin Finial in the Shape of a Flower
200. Hairpin Finial in the Shape of Flowers
201. Axe
202. Axe
203. Axe
204. Axe
205. Axe
206. Axe
207. Fragment of an Axe
208. Axe
209. Axe
210. Axe
211. Axe
212. Axe
213. Axe
214. Axe
215. Axe
216. Axe
217. Axe
218. Axe
219. Axe
220. Axe
221. Axe
222. Axe
223. Axe
224. Fragment of a Disc(bi)
225. String of Beads
226. Bead
227. Axe
228. Axe
229. Ornament
230. Oval-shaped
231. Tablet-shaped Objects
232. Tablet-shaped Objects
233. Tablet-shaped Object
234. Arc-shaped Ornament
235. Rectangular Object
236. Ornament
237. Ornament
238. Ornament
239. Ornament
240. Monkey