Page 121 - The Golden Age of Chinese Archaeology: Celebrated Discoveries from the People’s Republic of China

earth) confirms the existence of both an elaborate social organization that was able to plan,
manage, and sustain such a formidable project, and a large labor force. Finally, although many
Liangzhu jades (notably beads, pendants, and bracelets) are clearly ornamental, some large
objects — particularly hi disks and cong tubes — appear to have served no practical function.
The staggering amount of labor expended in their manufacture and the archaeological context
in which they were found suggest that these forms probably served as ritual paraphernalia
for those of privileged status.
With the beginning of the second millennium BCE, the Liangzhu culture fell into decline.
Although its cultural attributes seem to have had little influence on its immediate successors,
the Liangzhu jades inspired later artistic traditions. Many Liangzhu jade shapes were adopted
as standard ritual objects in the cultures and dynasties that arose afterward. One of its repre-
sentative forms — the bi disk — constituted a vital element of official paraphernalia through
the fall of the last imperial dynasty in the beginning of the twentieth century. Jade itself has
remained a highly valued and prestigious material for over five thousand years, and the many
practices associated with jades that originated in the Liangzhu culture have remained integral

to Chinese civilization, zs

1 Shi 1938, 4-5. For additional discussion and bibliography 6 Nanjing 1985, i - 22; Zhejiang 1960, 73 - 91.
on the Liangzhu culture, see Sun Zhixin 1993,1-40. 7 Zhejiang 19883, i - 31; Zhejiang i988b, 32 - 51.
2 For additional discussion of Liangzhu agriculture, see 8 For additional discussion of Liangzhu jades, see Sun
An 1988, 235 - 245. Zhixin 1993,18 - 21.
3 Zhejiang 1960, 73 - 91. 9 Wang 1984, 23 -35; Zhou and Zhang 1984, 46 -50.
4 Zhejiang i988b, 32-51. 10 Wen 1990,136.
5 Suzhou 1990,1-27.

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