Page 57 - China, 5000 years : innovation and transformation in the arts

Jade as Material

and Epoch

Elizabeth Childs-Johnson

Visiting Scholar, New York University

Jade, "the fairest of stones," is described

in the revered and earliest of Chinese

dictionaries as embodying five virtues:

"Benevolence is typified by its luster that

is bright and warm; integrity by its

translucency; wisdom by its sonorous ring

when struck; courage by its hardness;

and steadfastness by its durability." 1 As far

back as the late Neolithic period, this

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