Chapter 5 Section 4 Exquisite Jade and Stoneware

In the Shang Dynasty, although bronze tools were widely used, stone tools were still widely used in production, and stone shovels, stone sickles, and stone axes still played an important role in production.In addition, the white marble tiger-headed human body seated statue (Jiji) unearthed from M1001 Wangling Mausoleum in Xibeigang, Houjiazhuang, Anyang, has a groove on the back, which may be a decoration next to the wooden pillar.There is also a tiger-patterned stone chime (qingqing) of the late Shang Dynasty unearthed from the tomb of Wuguan Village in Anyang. It is 84 cm long, 24 cm wide, and 2.5 cm thick.

The jade wares that had been produced and developed to a certain extent in the primitive society had a great development in the Shang Dynasty, and a large number of exquisite jade wares were also an important part of the bronze culture of the Shang and Zhou dynasties.At this time, the jade material is basically Xinjiang Hetian jade.Most of them are sapphire, mainly green, and a small amount of white jade and blue white jade, all of which belong to tremolite and actinolite nephrite.A total of 755 pieces of jade were unearthed from the Fuhao Tomb in the Yin Ruins of Anyang, mainly including ritual vessels such as Gui, Cong, Bi, Huang, Jue, Yuan, and Huan; Utensils and various accessories.Among them, various figures carved in round or flat, as well as animals such as tigers, elephants, bears, dragons, owls, and eagles are particularly vivid, with smooth lines, indicating that jade cutting and polishing techniques have reached a very high level.One of them is a standing double-faced jade figure, pale grayish yellow, 12.5 cm high, 4.4 cm wide, and 1 cm thick.Nude, with two horns on the head, one male and one female.It is a representative work of jade wares of this period.