"Jade" showcases Chinese culture for thousands of years. Archaeology | Sites | Jade
The large-scale documentary series "Search for Ancient China, Jade Story", jointly produced by China Central Radio and Television and the National Cutural Heritage Administration, will be broadcast at 22:30 on CCTV comprehensive channel from July 9. Five sets of documentaries will witness the origin, formation and development of China's 10000 year cultural history and 5000 year civilization history by exploring the history and stories of Chinese ancestors who discovered jade, carved jade, used jade, loved jade, and endowed jade with rich spiritual and cultural connotation.
What is jade? In the "Shuowen Jiezi" written by Xu Shen of the Eastern Han Dynasty, it is explained that "jade is the beauty of stone.". What function did jade once have? In the Book of Rites of Zhou, it is recorded that "jade is used as the six objects, and the four directions of heaven and earth are worshipped." Famous Chinese scholar Ji Xianlin once said, "If one material represents Chinese culture, it is jade." Famous archaeologist Mr. Su Bingqi once said, "Jade is a comprehensive embodiment of traditional values. This cultural phenomenon is unique to China and has never declined."
Where exactly does "jade" come from? When did it enter the production and life of the Chinese ancestors? What unique forms does it bloom in different regions and what role does it play at different stages?
"Searching for Ancient China: A Record of Jade and Stones" will be a five part series, based on the latest archaeological achievements of many sites, combined with literature records and scientific investigation and research, from Xiaonan Mountain on the banks of the Wusuli River to Xinglongwa and Hongshan in the Western Liao River Basin; From Liangzhu, Lingjiatan, and Shijiahe in the Yangtze River Basin to Taosi, Shimao, and Longshan in the Yellow River Basin; From the Erlitou Site of the Xia Dynasty, to the Fuhao Tomb of the Shang Dynasty, and then to the Chu King's Mausoleum of the Western Han Dynasty... Taking multiple important archaeological sites and precious unearthed jade artifacts from across the country as clues, this study systematically reviews the development process of Chinese jade culture, witnesses the important role played by "jade" in different eras, and promotes the diverse and integrated pattern of Chinese civilization through jade culture.
In the "Record of Jade and Stone in Ancient China", there are several archaeological achievements that have been disclosed for the first time or in depth. For example, in 2022, a new round of excavation at the Lingjiatan Site in Ma'anshan, Anhui Province, not only discovered unprecedented jade sacrificial pits and the phenomenon of burning sacrifices, but also unearthed a "dragon head shaped jade artifact" here, which is an unprecedented important discovery in Chinese archaeology so far. In addition, how were the small eye circles with a diameter of only a few millimeters carved on the "Jade Cong King" in Liangzhu? How did the ancestors of Xinglongwa over 8000 years ago drill a regular circle on the jade pendant? How to extract the elliptical inner core of the Hongshan Culture oblique mouth cylindrical jade artifact? How to polish the surface of jade objects with raised and raised patterns on the ground? How to achieve a drilling hole with a diameter of less than two A4 paper thicknesses behind the jade figure at the Lingjiatan site? Is the jade phoenix unearthed from the Fuhao Tomb in Anyang, Henan really from Shijiahe, Hubei? These contents will be presented brilliantly in the program.
The filming team has traveled tens of thousands of kilometers, covering more than ten provinces including Liaoning, Inner Mongolia, Anhui, and Zhejiang. They have visited 37 cultural and museum units, including the National Museum of China, Liaoning Provincial Museum, Shaanxi History Museum, Hongshan Culture Museum, Liangzhu Museum, and Erlitou Summer Capital Site Museum. They have also visited 40 important sites, including Xiaonanshan, Xinglongwa, Liangzhu Ancient City, Lingjiatan, Shijiahe, Erlitou, and Yinxu. They have photographed 83 core cultural relics and interviewed more than 30 experts and scholars from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, related cultural and archaeological units, and research institutions. With high rigor and scientificity, they have narrated the jade culture behind each site and cultural relic with a high degree of rigor and scientificity. History and Story.
For example, at the Xiaonanshan Site in Heilongjiang Province and the Xinglongwa Site in Inner Mongolia, an ancient jade pendant with a circular shape and gaps became a key clue. Archaeological experts traced the origin of this and explored the earliest known jade appearance and material sources in China, as well as jade making techniques such as sand rope cutting and prehistoric wood stone wheel axle machinery.
The C-shaped jade dragon of the Hongshan culture was accidentally discovered by the people, leading to the brilliant and splendid Hongshan jade culture. It shows how jade became a material carrier for Chinese ancestors to communicate with heaven and earth more than 5000 years ago, and participated in the early institutional manifestation of maintaining social order - the construction of primitive and simple "rituals".
A combination of "cong, bi, and yue" was excavated from a royal tomb at the Liangzhu Ancient City Site in Zhejiang Province, demonstrating that jade culture was the spiritual belief of the ancestors of Liangzhu and had a profound impact on a wide range. For example, jade cong became simple and practical in the Shanxi Taosi site, valued for decoration; In the Shimao Site in Shaanxi Province, it is "hidden with jade on the wall", becoming the spiritual power of high-level architecture.
Entering the Xia Dynasty, which has a history that can be traced back, the Yuyazhang and Fangya unearthed from the Erlitou site in Henan province exhibit dragon shaped characteristics, becoming important tokens for exploring the historical sites of Xia history and witnessing the powerful influence of the first wide-ranging monarchy in Chinese history.
The program highlights the content characteristics of "archaeological exploration+literature research", and has filmed more than ten classic books such as "The Book of Songs", "The Book of Documents", "Shuowen Jiezi", "Bamboo Annals", "Zhou Li", and "Yue Jue Shu" at the National Library of China. The program delves into the recorded jade culture and compares it with archaeological evidence to enhance the cultural depth of the program. For example, in the Book of Yue Jue, it was recorded that "during the reign of the Yellow Emperor, jade was used as a weapon", and the jade Yue shaped weapon was considered a symbol of royal and military power. This indirectly suggests that "using jade as a weapon" should be a manifestation of the practical tool of jade ritual, in order to demonstrate command and appeal. The appearance of Liangzhu Jade Cong and Jade Bi confirms the record in the Book of Rites that "Cangbi worships the sky, while Huangcong worships the earth.". These important jade ritual vessels originally appeared over 5000 years ago.
The Jade and Stone Chronicle of Ancient China continues to deepen the creative concept of "thought+art+technology", fully utilizing new technologies from a free perspective to achieve innovative expression of cultural relics. For example, the three-dimensional scanning of the "Jade Cong King" in Liangzhu clearly and stereoscopically displays the characteristics of the "round sky and round place" of the jade cong. The historical scenes portrayed by Confucius, such as the comparison of virtue with jade, the expedition of women, the Shang Dynasty's conquest of summer, and the ancient jade making scenes, were presented in a brand new way through XR+new technology.
The host plays the role of both a proposer and a promoter of the mystery of ancient times in the program, returning to excavation sites such as Liangzhu and Lingjiatan, climbing magnificent mountains, strolling on the sandbars of the Yangtze River, and presenting the innovative presentation of the "Mirror of Civilization" on site with real-life hosting. To the greatest extent possible, it provides a broader and unique carrying space for the mountain elite - jade, showcasing the process of the formation of a diverse and integrated pattern of Chinese civilization that has never ceased to flow for five thousand years through a "crossing" of ancient and modern times, vividly reflecting the development process of the Chinese nation different from other civilizations in the world.
CCTV Video, CCTV Network and other new media platforms of China Central Television will simultaneously broadcast "Searching for Ancient China: Jade and Stone" with CCTV Comprehensive Channel starting from July 9th.
