Page 13 - Jades from the Chang We Hwa collection Hong Kong Dec 3 2021

At the height of each of the Five Hegemons’ power, his by one in the order of: Han, Zhao, Yan, Wei, Chu and Qi,
territory is more or less as follows: between 230 and 221 B.C., finally unifying the country and
Duke Huan of Qi: Qi State, around the Shandong ending the Seven Powers.
peninsula
The territories of the Seven Powers of Warring States are as
Duke Xiang of Song: Song State, around Shangqiu of follows:
Henan province
Qin: Central and southern Shaanxi, southeastern Gansu
Duke Wen of Jin: Jin State, including the whole of Shanxi and most of Sichuan
province, eastern and northern Shaanxi province, central
and southern Hebei province, western and northern Wei: Southern Shanxi, northern, central and eastern
Henan province, northwestern Shandong province, and Henan
Inner Mongolia Zhao: Northern and central Shanxi, central and
Duke Mu of Qin: Western Shaanxi province, the very southwestern Hebei, and part of Inner Mongolia
border of China Han: Central and western Henan, and southeastern
King Zhuang of Chu: Most of Hunan and Hubei, as well Shanxi
as Chongqing and part of Henan, Anhui, Jiangsu and Qi: Northern Shandong, southern and western Hebei
Jiangxi.
Chu: Whole of Hubei, parts of Henan, Anhui, Hunan,
The Wu and Yue States were also very influential in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang
Spring and Autumn period, and their territories were:
Yan: Northern Hebei, parts of Liaoning and Jilin
King Heju of Wu: expanding from Nanjing and Yangzhou In the Spring and Autumn and Warring States period,
to Suzhou of Jiangsu province, Suzhou was its capital in apart from the impressive advancement in politics, military
the later years
strategy, economics, and various schools of philosophy
King Goujian of Yue: at the peak, its influence reached and thought, the development of aesthetics and crafts also
Shandong, Anhui, and Shanxi, and was the most benefited from the competition between feudal lords trying
powerful state in the southeast.
to outdo each other. Jade carvings, in particular, showed
renewed vigor in the variety of jade material, the refinement
The Seven Powers of Warring States
craftsmanship and creativity in form and decoration,
Warring States spans 475 to 221 BC. As its name suggests, it making this period an important stage in the development
is a period of prolonged and brutal wars the likes of which of Chinese jade.
have not been seen before and rarely surpassed since. The
purpose for war also changed from vying for leadership in The Rise of Jade
the Spring and Autumn period to pure expansionism. After
a period of consolidation in the Spring and Autumn and Jade had always been a symbol of status for the ruling class
early Warring States period, there were now fewer feudal in the Shang and Zhou dynasties when it was used for ritual
states. When Han, Zhao and Wei divided Jin in the mid purposes. In the Spring and Autumn and Warring States
Warring States period, seven powerful states emerged: Yan, period, various thinkers attributed moral virtue to jade in
Qin, Chu, Qi, Han, Zhao and Wei – together they were concepts such as: ‘the gentleman compares his virtue to jade’;
called the Seven Powers of Warring States. Apart from Qin, ‘when speaking of a gentleman, one thinks of his warmth
the other six were all situated east of Mount Yao, therefore, like the luster of jade’ etc., equating the luster of jade to
these six were also called ‘The Six Eastern States’. that of a man’s character and morality. From the ruling class
to ordinary people, all started to wear jade as a symbol of
In the late Warring States, conflicts between these states
intensified. As Qin became increasingly powerful, its their moral rectitude. The use of iron tools coupled with
ambition in unifying the country became more apparent. craftsmen’s expanding repertoire of techniques advanced the
In 241 B.C., Zhao, Chu, Wei, Yan and Han formed the last art of jade carving, and many other types started to appear
alliance to fight Qin, but the Chu army deserted them even alongside ritual objects, such as utility items, adornments as
before the battles began, resulting in the collapse of the well as display pieces, showing renewed, unique and refined
alliance. The Qin army then eliminated the other states one artistry in both form and decoration.

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