This is a guaranteed authentic ancient Chinese jade bi cache of ninety eight (98) discs from the Qijia culture, Northwestern China, circa 3000-2000 BCE.

Including Our Certificate of Authenticity

To worship heaven with a bi explains their importance and use in ancient Chinese culture.

This group would make an instant collection for reference study, trading, making into your own pendant jewelry, or new year gifts.

Dimensions will vary : 1.25 to 3 inches diameters Quality will vary from good to fair- please refer to the photographs. Shapes will include round, nearly round, and scarcer square styles. Serious parties may request more photographs.

A brief history follows. Note the stunning green and brown calcification and hues combination. We acquired these over 20 years ago on one of our dozens of trips to China, northwestern China, Lanzhou area.

Schneible Fine Arts has been dealing in authentic Japanese fine art, garden ornaments, lanterns and water basins for 25 years. Our president personally travels to Japan and Europe each year to meet his network partners who assist him in finding best examples. He personally inspects each antique work of art to ensure its old age, authenticity and quality condition.
Provenance:

1 Our private collection and accompanied by our Guarantee of Authenticity.

2 In addition, our jade bi have been authenticated by Mr. Gu Fang, Senior Fellow at the Center of Jadeology and Jade Culture in Beijing, (see photographs of Mr. Gu Fang with Mr. Schneible and certificate of authenticity with an additional photograph.

History:
Flat jade discs with a round central hole bi are among the earliest surviving artifacts of China and must be considered among great ancient art forms- masterpieces of the Neolithic period. Nephrite jade from which discs were fashioned is a prime hard and strong stone, arduous to work by hand using Primitive stone tools and abrasives. It’s no wonder then that jade discs “bi” represent remarkable craftsmanship.

While all theories presented to date are speculative, we can forward one Based Upon the warring states text Zhou Li that bi are thought to represent symbols of heaven and were used in ancient rituals together with square tubes and cong symbolizing the earth. To worship heaven with a bi explains their importance and use and symbolize status of high social rank and sheds light on why many carved jades have been found in Zhou royal tombs. They are prominently found in varied qualities, quantities and sizes. Their ritual prominence stretches from the most ancient of Chinese history- Hongshan/Liangzhou/Longshan (4700-2190 BCE)/ Qi Jia cultures and on to the Zhou dynasty (3000-250 BCE) onwards.

Today jade bi are emblematic of power, status and privileged classes and offer more complex, varied meaning. Please refer to these excellent publications: Jessica Rawson, Chinese Jade from the Neolithic to the Qing, exhibition catalogue, The British Museum, London, 1995, pp 13ff, and Section 4. And also Radiant Stones Archaic Chinese Jades, the Myrna and Samurai Myers coll