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Jade Bi

Tags: jade | plate

This jade plate of the Chijia culture was grayish green, slightly transparent with white spots and dark brown stripes. There is a decoration on the front and back. Even though there is a little damage on the outer rim, and a trace of grinding on the inner rim, the plate is smooth and neat with a sophisticated elegance.Chijia culture was located in an upstream area of the Yellow River valley, first discovered at Chijiaping, Guanghe County, Gansu Province, dating back 4,000 years. The quality and manufacturing process of the unearthed jade utensils of the Chijia culture are very similar to those of the jade unearthed at the Houguang site, Anyang, Hunan. Because artefacts excavated at different places show significant differences, Chijia culture is quite complex. Due to the use of bronze and stone together during this period at the end of the Neolithic Age, and exchanges between different cultural groups in the middle and downstream areas of the Yellow River Valley, the jade craftsmanship that was in fashion probably spread to the northwestern region at this time.

 

National Museum of History