The world-famous Silk Road was formerly the "Jade Road" that transported Hetian jade from Xinjiang to the east and west. Archaeological findings show that as early as the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, that is, before the opening of the Silk Road 1000 years ago, Hetian jade in Xinjiang was sent to the Central Plains through the jade road and became a treasure of princes and nobles. Since the Western Zhou Dynasty, the royal family and nobles have used jade for sacrifices, pilgrimages and daily life, and there are also regulations on complex bedding. Jade has become an important symbol of etiquette. The symbol of Xuzhou Museum-the dragon-shaped Yu Pei unearthed from the Chu Tomb of Lion Mountain is such a treasure.
Yulong is 17.5cm long, 10.2cm wide and 0.6cm thick, slightly larger than the palm. It is carved from Hetian jade, which is moist and has a glass-like luster. Because it has been buried in the mausoleum for more than 2000 years, the dragon body is stained locally. Jade Dragon has a powerful shape, S-shaped curly body, bare beard, wide eyes, curly mane to both sides, crooked forelimbs, sharp claws, rolled and flattened tail, and tadpole-shaped vortex patterns all over the body. Jade workers use intaglio carving, relief carving and partial through carving to express the meaning of waiting for time. Yulong's eyes have a drill hole for threading silk thread, which means it is an ornament.
In the jade history of China, the Warring States Period to the Western Han Dynasty was a peak of craftsmanship. The cultural prosperity of a hundred schools of thought contend, as well as the use of iron and hammer machines, have brought about a revolution in jade carving technology, which has changed the simplicity of jade for thousands of years and become exquisite. In this regard, some experts have summed up the "five-character formula": sharp, straight-edged, sharp enough to cut hands; Bright, polished jade, bright and clean; Fierce, the animal image is fierce; Fine, twisted pattern, thinner than hair, called "hairspring carving"; Empty, a large number of hollow out, more clever. The S-shaped jade dragon appeared in the Warring States period, but it was basically horizontal, and the vertical S-shaped jade dragon was only found in the tombs of governors in the early Western Han Dynasty. This vertical S-shaped jade dragon in Lion Mountain in Xuzhou is exquisite in workmanship and huge in size, which is second to none in China. During the Warring States period, the strong social atmosphere of martial arts and enterprising directly affected the aesthetic orientation of jade articles. This jade dragon unearthed from the tomb of the King of Chu in the early Han Dynasty has an obvious legacy of the Warring States ―― the imperial power of Ye in Hanzhong was strengthened, the four seas were leveled, and the jade became moist and soft ―― it can be said that this jade dragon is the swan song of the mighty era in the history of jade in China.
Although it was stolen in ancient times, more than 2,000 pieces of various cultural relics have been unearthed from the tomb of the King of Chu in Lion Mountain. Among them, jade is the biggest highlight, including more than 200 pieces (groups) such as gold carved jade clothes, wooden lacquer coffins inlaid with jade, jade treasures, jade brothers, jade crowns, jade plaques and jade pillows. Rich in variety and excellent in jade quality.
So many priceless jewels, why don't grave robbers abandon them? It turns out that in the Han Dynasty, Liyu was a symbol of status and status, and ordinary people could not wear it. Grave robbers take jade, not only can't sell stolen goods, but also easily expose crimes, so they only take gold and silver vessels that can be cast.
In China, jade has gone beyond the aesthetic category from the very beginning. As early as the Neolithic Age in Hongshan Culture and Liangzhu culture, jade was regarded as a tool to communicate heaven and earth, gods and ancestors. People spend a lot of time making jade articles with the most pious mentality and the most primitive tools. During the Xia, Shang and Zhou Dynasties, the original tribal leaders became the kings who ruled the country, and the social system and personal life were brought into the strict and standardized etiquette system. Jade has also changed from a sacred jade to a ceremonial jade, which has penetrated into every corner of social life. It's just that there are "six utensils" when offering sacrifices: offering sacrifices to heaven with sapphire, to the earth with topaz, to the east with emerald, to the south with ruby, and to the west with white amber, which is mysterious. This has its background. When the kingdom gathers more and more nationalities, even the original enemies, how to ensure cultural identity and dignity of kingship becomes the primary problem, and jade articles that are considered to absorb the aura of heaven and earth become the carrier of etiquette system. During the Spring and Autumn Period, Confucius and Confucianism endowed the jade gentleman with virtue: jade is warm and shiny, which is its benevolence; The texture is clear and delicate, which is its wisdom; Hard but not shrinking, this is its morality; Honesty does not hurt people, which is its character; Bright colors without stains are its purity; Being injured and unyielding is its courage ... a gentleman is better than jade and becomes the core of jade culture in later generations.
At that time, the social fashion was "a gentleman never leaves his body, never leaves." Jade articles should be worn in groups, jingling rhythmically when walking, and the pace and speed should be coordinated with jade articles, so as to show a gentleman's demeanor, temperament and demeanor. Since the tomb of the King of Chu in Lion Mountain was stolen, it has become an eternal mystery which jades this S-shaped jade dragon matches. However, it is not easy to wear such a huge and heavy Yu Pei, so experts speculate that the King of Chu will only use the Jade Dragon when attending very important ceremonies.
So, where did Yulong come from? Was it awarded by the imperial court or made locally in Chu? Experts tend to the latter. During the Warring States Period, Chu Yu was unique in the world, and many jade articles were difficult to imitate even in modern times. However, there is considerable geographical overlap between Chu State in the early Western Han Dynasty and Chu State in the Warring States Period, and the tradition of making jade still exists. Secondly, almost every Han tomb in Xuzhou has jade, and there are many kinds of Han jade, which is difficult to compare with other places. A number of jade materials, scraps and pieces of broken jade were also found in the tomb of the Han Dynasty in Baiyun, Xuzhou, indicating that there were jade processing workshops in Chu. A number of tools have been found in the Han Tomb in Shizishan, some of which are steel-fried products, which is the earliest steel-fried in China, more than 1800 years earlier than in Europe. Such tools will undoubtedly improve the level of jade processing.
There are two views about the owner of this Chu tomb: Liu Yingke, the second generation king of Chu, and Liu E, the third generation king of Chu. The latter is the king of Chu who launched the Wu Chu rebellion with Liu Bi, the prince of Wu. As has happened countless times in history, the once rich and prosperous Chu State, as well as Wang Xuan, Wang Majestic and Wang Ambition, have long vanished under the wheel of time, leaving only the essence of cultural relics such as Jade Dragon, turning the vicissitudes of more than 2,000 years into eternity as historical images for people to think about and remember.