During the period of Hongshan Culture and Liangzhu culture, jade was considered to have psychic magic. During this period, jade was made into a ritual vessel for sacrifice and prayer, which was only used to communicate with heaven at important moments or events.

In this period, the shape and ornamentation of jade articles are quite special, and most of them have religious significance and practical value. Typical cultural relics include: Jade Pig Cage, Jade Cong, Jade Emperor, Yufu, etc.

The Second Jade Age: Guoyu Age

From the Spring and Autumn Period to the early Han Dynasty, jade was regarded as a symbol of sovereignty. This period was marked by the appearance of He Shibi. He Shibi was made during the Warring States Period, and was later made into a national decree by Qin Shihuang. After Han, Three Kingdoms, Jin, Tang and Song Dynasties, it was finally unknown.

At that time, whoever owned the imperial seal was regarded as the king of a country and could rule the world. I don't know how many wars and lives have been paid for this "jade seal". It is this profound understanding that made emperors of all dynasties make "national seals", that is, jade seals, with jade as the material. Today, the Palace Museum still treasures the precious jade seals of the twenty-three parties during the Qianlong period.

It is worth mentioning that in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, the Olympic emblem was a metaphor for the supreme symbolic significance of the imperial seal.

The Third Age of Jade: Ghost Jade Age

In the Han Dynasty, the use of jade was a special period, which was mainly due to the use of jade clothes and jade cicadas. So far, all the jade clothes we can see are from the Han Dynasty. Jade clothes are limited to princes and are used to wrap bodies for burial after death.

Not only that, but also the emphasis on "jade grip" and "nine tricks of jade plug", of which jade cicada is the most important one. Because it was put into the mouth of the deceased, it was also called "Xunchan", which means "metamorphosis and reincarnation". The carving of Yuchan was very distinctive, so it was called "Han Ba Dao".

The fourth era of jade: the era of official jade

In the Tang dynasty, officials above the third grade were awarded jade belts of different quality according to their grades, which was a symbol of grades. Jade belts are becoming more and more gorgeous in the process of use, which can be seen from the jade belts in the early and late Tang Dynasty. With the transformation of jade's function, the physical characteristics of jade began to be recognized, and the aesthetics of jade gradually formed.

From the Tang Dynasty, jade gradually entered the practical stage, and at the same time, the beauty of jade was displayed through conception and processing. In the history of Chinese jade culture, the Tang Dynasty was an important turning point. Jade began to enter the era of practical freehand brushwork close to real life from illusory symbols.

The Fifth Jade Age: the Age of Jade Appreciation

Jade ornaments, jade articles and ornamental jade articles appeared in Tang and Song Dynasties, which became popular in Ming and Qing Dynasties and reached its climax in Qianlong period. At this stage, jade presents a perfect combination of natural beauty of natural texture and exquisite craftsmanship.

This is a peak moment of Chinese jade culture, and it is also during this period that jade began to draw closer to people. Jade was not only viewed and used, but also began to be played with. Up to now, there is a saying that "people raise jade and jade raises people". The mysterious color of jade gradually faded, and the ornamental, practical and playful nature of jade became the new annotation of jade.

The Sixth Age of Jade: the Age of Hidden Jade

The biggest collector in history is Emperor Qianlong, who is even more obsessed with jade. Later generations gave him the nickname "Yu Chi". It is said that Qianlong never gave jade to others, which shows that he cherishes jade.

Qianlong's obsession with jade had a great influence on the upper class at that time, and also brought the first wave of jade collection climax. Only the dignitaries really owned jade. This state continued until the founding of New China. In the era of planned economy, the mining, processing and sales of jade are also planned, that is, unified purchase and marketing.

It was not until the early 1980s that jadeite began to enter the market, thus ending thousands of years of monopoly and regulation. The "window" of jade is open to every citizen, and anyone can freely participate in the sale, processing and collection of jade.

With the improvement of public aesthetics, the position of ancient jade in the market has become awkward, because no one cares about it because of its poor color. Mei-yu is very popular, and often has a price but no market.

With the country enriching the people and strengthening the country, the number of people who love jade, wear jade, play jade, know jade, appreciate jade and hide jade has expanded rapidly, and a more extensive era of hiding jade has begun. It's hard for us to imagine the scope and scale of jade culture in 20 or 30 years, just as we couldn't imagine today's situation in the 1980s, but what is certain is that the influence of jade will be wider and wider, the groups who love jade will be bigger and bigger, the resources of beautiful jade will be less and less, the price of real jade will be higher and higher, and it will be more and more difficult to collect jade. . . . . .