Yupei () is a generic term for

jade Jade is an umbrella term for two different types of decorative rocks used for jewelry or Ornament (art), ornaments. Jade is often referred to by either of two different silicate mineral names: nephrite (a silicate of calcium and magnesium in t ...

pendant A pendant is a loose-hanging piece of jewellery, generally attached by a small loop to a necklace, which may be known as a "pendant necklace". A pendant earring is an earring with a piece hanging down. Its name stems from the Latin word ...

s. Yupei were popular even before

Confucius Confucius (; pinyin: ; ; ), born Kong Qiu (), was a Chinese philosopher of the Spring and Autumn period who is traditionally considered the paragon of Chinese sages. Much of the shared cultural heritage of the Sinosphere originates in the phil ...

was born. Jade culture is an important component of

Chinese culture Chinese culture () is one of the Cradle of civilization#Ancient China, world's earliest cultures, said to originate five thousand years ago. The culture prevails across a large geographical region in East Asia called the Sinosphere as a whole ...

, reflecting both the material and spiritual culture. Jade is deeply ingrained in Chinese culture and played a role in every aspect of social life; it is also associated with positive qualities and aspects such as purity, excellence, and harmony.Jade is even more valued than

gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

in Chinese culture. The history of the art of jade carving in

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 ...

to make ornaments, including dress ornaments, extends back to before 5000 BC. Ancient Chinese held even greater importance to ''yupei'' after it was regarded as a moral integrity by

. Yupei could be used as belt or waist ornaments (such as ''jinbu'' 禁步) and as

necklace A necklace is an article of jewellery that is worn around the neck. Necklaces may have been one of the earliest types of adornment worn by humans. They often serve ceremonial, religious, magical, or funerary purposes and are also used as sy ...

s which appeared as early as the

Liangzhu culture The Liangzhu () culture or civilization (3300–2300 BC) was the last Chinese Neolithic jade culture in the Yangtze River Delta. The culture was highly stratified, as jade, silk, ivory and lacquer artifacts were found exclusively in elite burial ...

. Strings of jade pendant are also used to decorate headwear, such as the

mianguan The (), also called in Japan, in Korea, and in Vietnam, is a type of Guan (headwear), crown traditionally worn by the Emperor of China, emperors of China, Emperor of Japan, Japan, List of monarchs of Korea, Korea, and List of monarchs of V ...

Terminology

Yupei () is composed of the Chinese character ''yu'' () which literally means 'jade' and ''pei'' () which means 'pendant'. While the term 'jade' typically refer to

nephrite Nephrite is a variety of the calcium, magnesium, and iron-rich amphibole minerals tremolite or actinolite ( aggregates of which also make up one form of asbestos). The chemical formula for nephrite is Ca2( Mg, Fe)5 Si8 O22(O H)2. It is on ...

and

jadeite Jadeite is a pyroxene mineral with composition Na Al Si2 O6. It is hard (Mohs hardness of about 6.5 to 7.0), very tough, and dense, with a specific gravity of about 3.4. It is found in a wide range of colors, but is most often found in shades ...

in scholarly literature, the character ''yu'' () in China can also be applied to other forms of precious stones and materials, such as

agate Agate ( ) is a banded variety of chalcedony. Agate stones are characterized by alternating bands of different colored chalcedony and sometimes include macroscopic quartz. They are common in nature and can be found globally in a large number of d ...

, serpentine,

soapstone Soapstone (also known as steatite or soaprock) is a talc-schist, which is a type of metamorphic rock. It is composed largely of the magnesium-rich mineral talc. It is produced by dynamothermal metamorphism and metasomatism, which occur in sub ...

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock consisting of carbonate minerals (most commonly calcite (CaCO3) or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) that have recrystallized under the influence of heat and pressure. It has a crystalline texture, and is ty ...

tremolite Tremolite is a member of the amphibole group of silicate minerals with composition Ca2(Mg5.0-4.5Fe2+0.0-0.5)Si8O22(OH)2. Tremolite forms by metamorphism of sediments rich in dolomite and quartz, and occurs in two distinct forms, crystals and fib ...

, and

hornblende Hornblende is a complex silicate minerals#Inosilicates, inosilicate series of minerals. It is not a recognized mineral in its own right, but the name is used as a general or field term, to refer to a dark amphibole. Hornblende minerals are common ...

The ''True jade'' () in China is actually the nephrite, which have been used and prized for millennia in China. It is only since the 18th century that jadeite (from

Burma Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and ha ...

) was discovered by Chinese carvers and started to be used in China. Jadeite became popular in jewellery making due to its bright green colour.

Design and construction

''Yupei'' could be stringed together to make an ensemble of jade pendants (which would hold at the belt and could also be composed of chains of '' bi'' (璧; jade discs or jade rings). Jade in the form of huang were also popular in the making of ''yupei'' and had a rigid and specific rules attached to its use. Some jade pendants also combined jades in the shape of dragons, phoenixes, anthropomorphic figures, human-dragons, and animals (birds, badgers), and/or could be carved in the shapes of diverse objects (such as

gourd Gourds include the fruits of some flowering plant species in the family Cucurbitaceae, particularly '' Cucurbita'' and '' Lagenaria''. The term refers to a number of species and subspecies, many with hard shells, and some without. Many gourds ha ...

s) or with Chinese characters (e.g. double happiness). Jades in the form of bi and cong (jade tubes) appeared as early as the Liangzhu Neolithic culture (c. 3000 BC) in Zhenjiang and Jiangsu provinces.

Jinbu (禁步)

Western_Zhou_Jade_Pei_Pendants_from_Ying_State

Ensemble of jade pendants and/or jade strings which were combined with other precious materials (such as silver or gold accessories) were called jinbu; jinbu were a type of (waist accessories) which were typically worn by women to press down their clothing. Jinbu appeared thousands of years ago and were initially only worn by nobles, but with time, it was gradually adopted by all women regardless of their social ranks. The jinbu also used to be an indicator of elegance and etiquette in ancient times: if the behavior of its wearer is discourteous (i.e. walking too fast), the jinbu would sound loud and thus, the jinbu would remind the wearer to mind his manners and elegance; on the other hand, if its wearer behave appropriately, the jinbu would sound melodic and pleasant. This is also explained in the chapter《玉藻 Yu Zao》in the

Liji The ''Book of Rites'', also known as the ''Liji'', is a collection of texts describing the social forms, administration, and ceremonial rites of the Zhou dynasty as they were understood in the Warring States and the early Han periods. The ''B ...

History

Ancient

In the pre- Qin period, unearthed jade pendants were found to be carved in human and

anthropomorphic Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. It is considered to be an innate tendency of human psychology. Personification is the related attribution of human form and characteristics to ...

figures and/or combination of human and animals design (e.g. human faces, eagle sizing the head of a man),

dragons A dragon is a magical legendary creature that appears in the folklore of multiple cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in Western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depict ...

(e.g. pierced-dragon shape), phoenix (e.g. pierced-phoenix shape), animals (such as birds) and carved in shape of bi, and semi-disc shape (half- bi) jade pendants. Huang and half-bi were sometimes used as component of an ensemble of jade pendant. Jade pendants could also be found in strings of jade ornaments (e.g. in the forms of small jade tubes, called ''cong''). Strings of jade could also be combined with other forms of jade pendants. Jade pendants worn as necklace appeared as early as the Liangzhu culture. File:Pendant MET 2008.190.264 F.jpg, Chinese Jade pendant in the form of a bi, 2000–1500 B.C. File:Shang Jade Pendants 1.jpg, Yupei in the shape of huang, Shang dynasty, File:Shang Jade Pendant of Fish.jpg, Fish-shaped yupei, Shang dynasty. File:Shang Jade Pendant of Bird.jpg, Bird-shaped yupei, Shang dynasty.

Zhou dynasty

Painted_Figures_from_Warring_States_Tomb_Showing_Wearing_of_Jade_Pendants

In the

Western Zhou The Western Zhou ( zh, c=西周, p=Xīzhōu; 771 BC) was a period of Chinese history corresponding roughly to the first half of the Zhou dynasty. It began when King Wu of Zhou overthrew the Shang dynasty at the Battle of Muye and ended in 77 ...

, people started to associate moral connotations to the use of jade, such as morality. This eventually led to the formation of

Chinese jade Chinese jade refers to the jade mined or carved in China from the Neolithic onward. It is the primary hardstone of Chinese sculpture. Although deep and bright green jadeite is better known in Europe, for most of China's history, jade has c ...

belief system of how ''"a gentleman compares virtues to a gem"'', a concept which was later fully elaborated by

, who would then compare the qualities of a jade to the 5 virtues (

kindness Kindness is a type of behavior marked by acts of generosity, consideration, or concern for others, without expecting praise or reward in return. It is a subject of interest in philosophy, religion, and psychology. It can be directed towards o ...

wisdom Wisdom, also known as sapience, is the ability to apply knowledge, experience, and good judgment to navigate life’s complexities. It is often associated with insight, discernment, and ethics in decision-making. Throughout history, wisdom ha ...

integrity Integrity is the quality of being honest and having a consistent and uncompromising adherence to strong moral and ethical principles and values. In ethics, integrity is regarded as the honesty and Honesty, truthfulness or of one's actions. Integr ...

courage Courage (also called bravery, valour ( British and Commonwealth English), or valor (American English)) is the choice and willingness to confront agony, pain, danger, uncertainty, or intimidation. Valor is courage or bravery, especially in ...

, and purity) of a gentleman (''

junzi The word junzi ( or "Son of the Vassal, or Monarch") is a Chinese philosophical term often translated as "gentleman", "superior person",Sometimes "exemplary person". Paul R. Goldin translates it "noble man" in an attempt to capture both its earl ...

'') in the Book of Rites (Liji). White jade, Hotan jade in particular, was well-liked in the Western Zhou; however, strict regulations on the use of jades, based on their qualities and colours, were established. While rulers of the Western Zhou would use expensive jades (like white Hotan jade), people of lower status could only use common jades. Ensemble of yupei (jinbu) were a distinctive form of ritual jade ware in the Western Zhou dynasty, and jades in huang shape were dominant types of yupei found in the ensemble. The jade pendant ensemble consisted of various parts which had to be connected together based on certain rules. In the

Zhou dynasty The Zhou dynasty ( ) was a royal dynasty of China that existed for 789 years from until 256 BC, the longest span of any dynasty in Chinese history. During the Western Zhou period (771 BC), the royal house, surnamed Ji, had military ...

, ensemble of yupei would often hang down at the waist belt of its wearer. Ensemble of yupei which were made entirely of jade may have only used by rulers of kingdoms (possibly dukes, marquises, their wives and aristocrats of similar titles) as the ritual system which is stipulated in the Liji indicates that pure jade could not be used by the ministers of kings. According to the chapter《玉藻 Yu Zao》: Moreover, according to the Confucian jade-related belief system which also stems from the Liji: in ancient China, yupei ensemble (which symbolizes virtue) must always been worn by

gentlemen ''Gentleman'' (Old French: ''gentilz hom'', gentle + man; abbreviated ''gent.'') is a term for a chivalrous, courteous, or honorable man. Originally, ''gentleman'' was the lowest rank of the landed gentry of England, ranking below an esquire ...

except when they are mourning. Wearing yupei ensemble also served to: (1) remind its wearer to walk in an orderly manner which would eventually make gentlemen develop an elegant and regular walking pattern over the years despite being constrained by the jade pendants, and (2) remind the gentlemen to behave according to the decorum which is based on the sound of the jade tinkles when they walk. File:British Museum Chinese jade Western Zhou dynasty Stag pendants 11022019 1529.jpg, Jade pendants in the form of

stags A deer (: deer) or true deer is a hoofed ruminant ungulate of the family Cervidae (informally the deer family). Cervidae is divided into subfamilies Cervinae (which includes, among others, muntjac, elk (wapiti), red deer, and fallow deer) an ...

, Western Zhou. File:Warring States Jade Dragon Pendants.jpg, Chinese dragon-shaped yupei,

Warring States period The Warring States period in history of China, Chinese history (221 BC) comprises the final two and a half centuries of the Zhou dynasty (256 BC), which were characterized by frequent warfare, bureaucratic and military reforms, and ...

File:Late Western Zhou Jade Humanoid Pendant.jpg, Human-shaped yupei, Late Western Zhou File:Western Zhou Jade Pendant (9830144454).jpg, Yupei ensemble, Western Zhou. File:Western Zhou Jade Pendant with Huang.jpg, Yupei ensemble with Huang, Western Zhou File:Western Zhou Jade Huang from Pendant.jpg, Jade Huang from a yupei ensemble, Western Zhou. File:Western Zhou Jade Pendant (10099934815).jpg, Yupei ensemble composed of bi (disc), huang and cong (jade tubes), Western Zhou File:Late Spring & Autumn Jade Ornaments.jpg, Jade Ornaments composed of bi and huang jade, and dragon-shaped jade, Late Spring & Autumn period

Tang dynasty

It is confirmed based on paintings and stone engravings that ensemble of jade pendants were suspended from the belt of women in the

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...

. File:组玉佩SPIA.jpg, Ensemble of Yupei (玉佩), Tang dynasty.

Qing dynasty

Qing 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 ...

, it was popular for women to wear green, translucent jade jewelries; pendants which were carved in the shape of a curving dragon was popular.{{Cite book , last=Clark , first=Carol , title=Tropical gemstones , date=1998 , publisher=Periplus Editions , isbn=978-1-4629-1664-1 , location=Singapore , pages=58 , oclc=904404624 File:Qing Jade Pendant (10126846995).jpg File:Qing Jade Pendant 02.jpg, Jade pendant, Qing dynasty File:Pendant Plaque with the Scholars Lin Bu and Mi Fei LACMA M.2001.179.7 (1 of 2).jpg, Jade

plaque Plaque may refer to: Commemorations or awards * Commemorative plaque, a plate, usually fixed to a wall or other vertical surface, meant to mark an event, person, etc. * Memorial Plaque (medallion), issued to next-of-kin of dead British military p ...

pendant File:Qing Jade Pendants.jpg File:清翡翠雲龍紋佩-Pendant with dragon MET 184068.jpg, Yupei carved with dragons, Qing dynasty, 20th century. File:清中期玉團壽紋佩-Pendant MET 32935.jpg, Yupei, Qing dynasty, 18th–19th century

Gallery

File:Ming Jade Pendant.jpg, Ming Jade pendant File:I-Ch'ing (Ba Gua & Yin-Yang symbol) Chinese jade pendant amulet, Oude Pekela (2018) 06.jpg, Yupei with

bagua The ''bagua'' ( zh, c=八卦, p=bāguà, l=eight trigrams) is a set of symbols from China intended to illustrate the nature of reality as being composed of mutually opposing forces reinforcing one another. ''Bagua'' is a group of trigrams—co ...

and

yin and yang Originating in Chinese philosophy, yin and yang (, ), also yinyang or yin-yang, is the concept of opposite cosmic principles or forces that interact, interconnect, and perpetuate each other. Yin and yang can be thought of as complementary an ...

symbol, 2018

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References

Chinese traditional clothing Jade Hardstone carving Chinese art