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form the subject's beady eyes, broad nose, and Jade cong
toothy mouth; horizontal lines on either side of the
1
3
Height 4.5 (i A), exterior diam. 7.9 fa /*),
circles suggest the canthi. The figure seems to be
5
interior diam. 6.7 (2 A)
riding on a fearsome monster which has large circu-
Liangzhu Culture, 3200-2000 BCE
lar eyes, a gaping mouth with protruding tusks, and
From Yaoshan, Yuhang, Zhejiang Province
two clawed feet. This double image mirrors the
more abbreviated face motifs commonly found on Zhejiang Provincial Institute of Archaeology,
Liangzhu jades. Hangzhou
The significance of these face motifs is highly
1
controversial. While generally agreeing that these Unlike the common type, this short cong has a
faces carry symbolic meaning, scholars differ in circular wall resembling a bracelet. A large monster
their interpretations of the image. Some argue that face is incised in fluent lines on each of the four
they depict the animal assistants of shamans, while decorative panels, its circular eyes, bar-shaped nose
others suggest that they represent deity figures, and mouth sculpted in low relief. Between the eyes,
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ancestor spirits, or even phallic symbols. Although vertical lines form a fan shape, echoing the feather
archaeological evidence does not yet allow further headdress of the human figure in the more elabo-
speculation on the specific meaning of these faces, rate human-monster configuration. In contrast to
we can reasonably postulate that they represented the fine spirals and curls that fill the background,
religious icons of some sort, zs the eye circles are cut in deep grooves, giving the
face a threatening aspect.
1 For examples of cong of various heights and proportions, While most cong have a square cross section
see Zhejiang 1989, pis. 6-58.
2 Liu 1990, 30 - 37; Chang 1989, 37 - 43. and circular central hole, round, bracelet-shaped
3 Rawson 1995,124. forms have been found at several Middle and Late
4 Nanjing 1984,113 -114. Liangzhu sites, including Fanshan in northern Zhe-
5 Excavated in 1986 (M 12:97); reported: Zhejiang 19883,14.
For an updated interpretation of the archaeological jiang province, Fuquanshan in Shanghai city, and
2
contents see Wenwu 1990,103. Sidun in southern Jiangsu province. The slightly
6 Zhejiang 19883,10-14, figs. 19, 20; for detailed photo- raised angle that appears in some examples along
graphic reproductions, see Zhejisng 1989, pis. 6-9.
7 Chsng 1989, 39; Hayashi 19883; Mou 1989!), 193; Teng 1988, the median line of the decorative panel nonetheless
37;Xiso 1992, 54-56. suggests an affinity to the typical cong shape.
It is likely that the cong developed out of the
bracelet form, perhaps reflecting lapidaries' search
for an effective means to present the face motif.
The close resemblance between the bracelet and
the earliest known example of the cong — datable
to the Early Liangzhu period (c. 3000 BCE) — sug-
3
gests such an evolution. The cong differs from the
bracelet by having four rectangular panels, on
which simple, monsterlike faces are incised. These
are the earliest known examples of face motifs, but
they consist of exactly the same pictorial elements
as the later ones — a pair of gogglelike eyes joined
by an arched bar and a wide-open mouth with
protruding tusks. As the surface decoration grew
more elaborate in the Middle Liangzhu period
(c. 2800-2400 BCE), the craftsmen accentuated

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