The ''bi'' ( zh, 璧, bì) is a type of circular ancient Chinese jade artifact. The earliest ''bi'' were produced in the

Neolithic The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Ancient Greek, Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revo ...

period, particularly by the Liangzhu culture ( 3400– 2250 BCE).Teaching Chinese Archaeology, object 3 - NGA
Later examples date mainly from the Shang, Zhou and Han dynasties. They were also made in

glass Glass is an amorphous (non-crystalline solid, non-crystalline) solid. Because it is often transparency and translucency, transparent and chemically inert, glass has found widespread practical, technological, and decorative use in window pane ...

Description

A ''bi'' is a flat jade disc with a circular hole in the centre. Neolithic ''bi'' are undecorated, while those of later periods of China, like the Zhou dynasty, bear increasingly ornate surface carving (particularly in a hexagonal pattern) whose motifs represented deities associated with the sky (four directions) as well as standing for qualities and powers the wearer wanted to invoke or embody. As laboriously crafted objects, they testify to the concentration of power and resources in the hands of a small elite.

Meaning

Later traditions associate the ''bi'' with heaven, and the '' cong'' with the earth. Bi discs are consistently found with heaven and earth-like imagery, suggesting that the disk's circular shape also bears symbolic significance as this description explains:

Function

From these earliest times they were buried with the dead, as a sky symbol, accompanying the dead into the after world or "sky", with the cong which connected the body with the earth. They were placed ceremonially on the body in the grave of persons of high social status. ''Bi'' are sometimes found near the stomach and chest in Neolithic burials. Jade, like ''bi'' disks, has been used throughout Chinese history to indicate an individual of moral quality, and has also served as an important symbol of rank. They were used in worship and ceremony – as ceremonial items they symbolised the ranks of emperor, king, duke, marquis, viscount, and baron with four different '' guis'' and two different ''bi'' disks. In war during the Zhou dynasty period (c. 1046–256 BCE), ''bi'' disks belonging to the leaders of the defeated forces were handed over to the victor as a sign of submission. Scholars "are unsure of their exact use or meaning".

Qianlong Emperor and the ''bi''

In 1790 AD, the

Qianlong Emperor The Qianlong Emperor (25 September 17117 February 1799), also known by his temple name Emperor Gaozong of Qing, personal name Hongli, was the fifth Emperor of China, emperor of the Qing dynasty and the fourth Qing emperor to rule over China pr ...

of the

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...

had an ancient ''bi'' inscribed with a message. He also wrote a poem entitled: "Verses Composed on Matching a Ding-ware Ceramic with an Ancient Jade Bowl Stand". It reads as follows: "It is said there were no bowls in antiquity / but if so, then where did this stand come from? It is said that this stand dates to later times / but the jade is antique. It is also said that a bowl called wan is the same as a basin called yu, but only differing from it in size". He also wrote: "This stand is made of ancient jade / but the jade bowl that once went with it is long gone. As one cannot show a stand without a bowl / we have selected a ceramic from the Ding kiln for it". He has also included the day, and year on the disc. The Qianlong emperor assumed the bi was a bowl stand, so he found a bowl and engraved it with messages to match the ones he engraved on the disc. This ''bi'' disc was also used for the Qianlong Emperor's funeral, and was also used for high status people's funerals as well. The ''bi'' is now kept in the

British Museum The British Museum is a Museum, public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is the largest in the world. It documents the story of human cu ...

's collection.

Influences

The design of the reverse side of the medals given in the

2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes fro ...

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

are based on ''bi'' disks.Design of the Medal for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games

Gallery

Jade Bi Ornament, Dragon designs, China - Warring States period, Western Han dynasty, 4th-2nd century BC.tiff, A Western Han dynasty ''bi'', with dragon designs, 4th – 2nd century BC File:Jade Bi in Shaanxi History Museum, Xi'an.jpg, Jade ''bi'' in

Shaanxi History Museum Shaanxi History Museum, which is located to the northwest of the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda in the ancient city Xi'an, in the Shaanxi province of China, is one of the first huge state museums with modern facilities in China and list of largest art ...

, Xi'an File:Jade disc (Bi). Nephrite jade. Liangzhu Culture, south-east China. Neolithic period, c. 2500 BCE. Victoria and Albert Museum, London.jpg, Jade disc (''bi''). Nephrite jade. Liangzhu Culture, south-east China. Neolithic period, c. 2500 BCE.

Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (abbreviated V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.8 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and named after Queen ...

References

External links

*
Video—National Geographic, Smithsonian's Freer and Sackler Galleries, Washington, D.C.; September 7, 2013
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140228023236/http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/news/history-archaeology-news/jade-mystery-vin/ , date=February 28, 2014 Archaeological artefact types Archaeological artifacts of China Hardstone carving Bronze Age art Jade