|
|
|
|
China's 9,000-Year Fascination With Jade |
| Section: THE ARTS / CRAFT & DESIGN |
| Author: Suzanne Wright |
| Publication: The world & I online |
| Issue Date: 1/1/1988 |
| Size: 1,883 Words, 11,492 Characters |
|
For nine thousand years, jade has been an object of fascination for the Chinese, much as gold has been for the West. Jade has been prized for its beauty, value, strength, and for less tangible qualities, such as its reputed ability to engender longevity. An entry in a dictionary written by Xu Shen about A.D. 100 notes that jade possesses five virtues, symbolized by characteristics of the stone: charity (warm luster), honesty (translucency), wisdom (purity of tone when struck), courage (durability), and equity (sharpness injuring no one).
For the Chinese, jade stands for all that is beautiful, moral, and worthy. These associations are reflected in Chinese language in which a "jade person" refers to a beautiful woman, a "jade heart" to someone of great purity.
Until the Sung dyna...
. . .
... have once again reached the level of skill attained in the Qianlong workshops.
Jade carving remains a vital art today in China, as it has for at least four thousand years. The West's relatively recent acquaintance with jade has vastly increased the number of admirers of this stone, whose ineffable colors and pleasing texture assure its continued popularity in China and around the world.
(812 of 11,492 characters)
Do you want to read
the whole article? You can
purchase it here.
Subscriber Login |
|
|
Publication Details
(The World & I Online) |
|
The World & I Online is a
comprehensive academic resource that encompasses a broad range of
articles by scholars and experts in the areas of Global Studies,
Liberal Arts, Fine & Applied Arts, General Science, and Spanish.
Originally published monthly in print as The World & I, our site
includes the complete contents since 1986 and continues to publish
a new issue online each month. |
|
Individual Subscription
|
 |
|
|
|
College Orders (based
on full-time enrollment) |
|
-
2 to 5 Computers |
|
-
Up to 1,000 Students |
|
-
1,001 to 2,500 Students |
|
-
2,501 to 5,000 Students |
|
-
5,001 to 10,000 Students |
|
-
10,001 or More Students |
|
|
|
Public Library Orders |
|
-
2 to 5 Computers |
|
-
6 to 50 Computers |
|
-
51 to 100 Computers |
|
For over 100
computers, call 866-211-6040. |
|
|
