ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS 

Artifacts, Antiques & Fine Collectibles

Ancient Chinese Jade Royal/Imperial Heaven Plaque

Heaven (Tien), Dragon, and Owl Symbols

Neolithic Characters & Translation

Hongshan Culture

c. 3500 BC

“A Dragon can be unseen or visible, minute or huge,

long or short.  However, always it is great.”

—Shuo Wen (c. 100 AD) 

 
 

NOTE:  William D. Houghton, the President of ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS, a State of Washington Licensed Business, assumes all responsibility for the information contained in this description and for the English translation and transcription of the ancient Chinese graphic characters.  Furthermore, I prohibit the further dissemination of this information in any written, video, or electronic format without my expressed, written approval.  Thank You!

SUMMARY

 

The very heavy and large Neolithic plaque weighs 2.75 lbs. (1.25 kg) and measures about 9.00” tall x 3.88” wide x 1.60” thick (229mm x 99mm x 40mm).   It has turned a wonderful shade of yellow and burnt orange after being buried in the damp soil for over 4,000 years!

 

This beautiful Neolithic Chinese Heaven plaque is made of pure, Nephrite Jade—the only type of jade that was used by royal families during this time period.  It documents the cyclic life journey of a member of a royal/imperial family as his soul starts out as a Dragon embryo; emperors were thought to be the sons of Heaven and the omnipotent Dragon.  Dragons are also revered for their ability to transport humans to the celestial realms after death.

 

At the bottom of the plaque, an owl pictograph symbolizes the man death and his journey to immortality in Heaven (Tien in Chinese), which is symbolized by the hole in the center of the plaque.  The purpose of the plaque is to show his Ancestors that he was a member of the royal family whose status while living was worthy of eternal life in Heaven.

 

The Neolithic owner of this exceptionally large plaque was almost assuredly a member of a royal family as both the jade and bronze production in Neolithic China was very carefully controlled by the warlords, kings, and emperors.  And only emperors could use the symbol of their unlimited power on Earth—the all-powerful Dragon. 

 

This jade plaque dates to what modern archaeologists designate as the Hongshan Culture that existed about 5,500 years ago on the banks of the Liao River basin in northeast China in what is now the modern province of Liaoning.  Dating back about 5,500-6,500 years, the Hongshan culture is one of the most famous Neolithic archaeological cultures in the Liao River basin in northeast China.

 

 

This ancient jade plaque is rectangle shaped with a single large hole in the center that measures .64” (16mm) in diameter and symbolizes Heaven (in Chinese T’ien), which can also be translated as “Immortality.”  The four sides of the plaque symbolize the Earth.  The base of the amulet/axe is flat, and it appears to have been made that way to stand upright in a temple or tomb.

 

 The large center hole represents the Heavens (T’ien) and is where the Ancestors spend eternity.  While the four sides of the amulet represent the Earth.  The shape of the ritual axe was thought to scare away Evil Spirits, who were thought to lurk everywhere and who could prevent the soul of man from reaching immortality in Heaven.

 

 On the front (obverse) side of the amulet are two, large, Neolithic Chinese pictographs (characters) incised and carved into the stone in low relief that I have translated and described below. 

·        The top pictograph is that of a Dragon in embryo form;

·        Below the coiled Dragon is an Owl pictograph that symbolizes the man death and his journey to immortality in Heaven (Tien in Chinese);

·        Heaven is symbolized by the hole in the center of the plaque. 

 

 

These characters are carved in the earliest of all the various Chinese scripts, and these pictographs are called Jiaguwen 甲骨文 or in English “Oracle Bone Inscriptions/Script.”  Translation below.

 

 

There are also smaller characters pecked mostly into the front of the amulet tablet and even some scratched into the beveled edges of the center hole.  The tiny characters on those edges were meant only for the eyes of the Ancestors and not meant for human eyes who were not considered worthy.  Details below.

 

 

In ancient China, this jade amulet was thought to be able to carry safely the spirit or soul of the deceased to Heaven (“Tien” in Chinese) and immortality.  Jade was thought to represent Heaven and was considered more precious than gold in ancient China.

 

 

DETAILS

 

This stunning jade amulet has a wonderful, ancient orange patina from the iron that has been absorbed into the once green jade after being buried in damp soil for over 4,000 years.  This iron in the soil has turned this jade amulet a wonderful color of burnt-orange.  WOW!!

 

 

It is an incredibly early example and is one of the few examples that has several Neolithic Chinese characters (pictographs) incised, pecked, and carved in low relief onto the sides and even in the center hole of the plaque.

 

 

As stated above, the large, the center hole with an inside diameter of .64” (16 mm) represents Heaven (Ti’en).  Unlike other Hongshan jades, this plaque does not have a smaller suspension hole that would have been used to suspend this ritual jade around the neck of its owner item if it was an amulet--at 2.75 lbs. that would be some amulet around one's neck!  Both holes are classified as "double-bevel bore holes" by anthropologists as they were drilled by hand from both sides of the amulet/tablet. 

 

 

The hole was drilled by hand from each side with a slow-speed drill.  The holes are period correct and show the growth of tiny micro-crystals of jade inside the bore holes and on the all the surfaces of the amulet.  This chemical reaction can only happen after a piece of carved jade has been buried for thousands of years in damp soil.  These tiny crystals almost look like white powder and should never be cleaned off or removed as they attest to the authenticity of the piece.

 

 

Jade was highly prized by these early civilizations in China, and it was thought to have positive energy to drive away evil spirits and bring good luck and fortune to all who wore a piece on their person--in life and in death. Jade was also believed to be a portal or messenger that could carry prayers to Heaven and send messages to those on Earth from departed ancestors and Gods in Heaven.

 

 

In ancient China, this plaque would have been placed in the tomb or temple of the departed by his family to protect him or her from evil spirits on his journey to the afterlife and to allow him/her to enter Heaven.  It would also show the ancestors and spirits that he was a member of the royal family whose “perfect work” would allow him immortality in Heaven. 

 

 

This ancient jade plaque is a fine work of art and it is truly a museum quality piece of great historical significance. It would be the center piece of any Chinese collection!

 

 

TRANSLATION OF NEOLITHIC CHINESE CHARACTERS

 

We know that all written languages developed from primitive picture-writing or pictographic symbols. Others went the way of phonetic alphabets and nearly total abstraction. Chinese pursued a different course as its evolution was from pictograms to ideograms and phonograms. For example, the figure of an owl that is carved in low relief on the lower side of this jade plaque is an example of a pictogram.

 

 

This first written Chinese characters are called “oracle bone inscriptions” (called Jiaguwen 甲骨文 or "plastron bone inscriptions") and they are remnants of archival documents from the late Neolithic China upon which records of royal divinations were carved or inscribed. The material is the plastrons (breastshields, gui fujia 龜腹甲) of tortoises or scapulae (shoulder-blades shou jiagu 獸胛骨) of different cattle. The oracle bone inscriptions are the oldest extant Chinese texts written in a perfectly developed script. Unfortunately, there are no older stages of the Chinese script preserved (except some clan insignia and examples of logographs of uncertain meaning), but it appears in full maturity on the inscriptions and on jade amulets.

 

This lovely plaque contains three, very-large, Neolithic pictographic characters that have been incised, carved, and drilled into the design of this amulet. 

 

Note:  I assume all responsibility for the information contained in this description and for the English translation and transcription of the ancient Chinese graphic characters.  Furthermore, I prohibit the further dissemination of this information in any written, video, or electronic format without my expressed, written approval.  Thank You!

 

 

There are also smaller characters pecked mostly into the front of the amulet tablet and even some scratched into both sides of the beveled edges of the center hole.  The tiny characters (2—4 mm) on those edges were meant only for the eyes of the Ancestors and not meant for human eyes who were not considered worthy.  The characters are extremely small and faint, but I can see the characters for the following pictographs:

·        Dragons.  There are at least two dragon pictographs that have been pecked around the center hole.  Dragons are also revered for their ability to transport humans to the celestial realms after death.        {Note:  Please see macro photos # 9 & 10 of my thumb pointing to the two dragons—one on each side of the plaque.}

·        Man with a flint axe to kill the beasts to sacrifice.

·        Sacrificed Beasts.

·        A bronze vessel

·        Ancestor’s Footprint.

·        Ancestors depicted as stick figure diving headfirst from the Heavens to accept the offerings being presented to him/her. 

·        There are perhaps an additional 20+ characters that are too tiny and faint for me to identify carved in the vertical, outside wing feather of the Owl. This is perhaps a prayer for the departed as they begin their journey to Tien to live eternally with their ancestors.  {Note:  Please see my macro photos # 3-4.}

Dragon Symbolism in China

 

In China, the Dragon (in Chinese “Long”) has for millennia been the symbol of the Emperor, the Son of Heaven, eternity, Yang and Yin, as well as for male vigor and fertility.  The Dragon is considered as one of the 12 Ornaments and one of the most comp00lex and multi-tiered Chinese symbols. The Chinese dragon is a good natured and benign creature that can fiercely protect one from Evil Spirits and harm.

 

 

The nine major characteristics of a lung-type dragon include a camel-like head, deer-like horns, hare-like eyes, bull-like ears, an iguana-like neck, a frog-like belly, carp-like scales, tiger-like paws and eagle-like claws.  This bronze dragon has a pair of large canine teeth and long, tendril-like whiskers extending from either side of its mouth that were thought to be used for feeling its way along the bottom of muddy ponds.

 

 

In China, the dragon is credited with having great powers that allowed it to make rain and control floods by striking the river with its mighty tail, for example. Dragons are also revered for their ability to transport humans to the celestial realms after death. They are symbols of the natural world, adaptability, and transformation to immortal status. When two dragons are placed together in opposite directions, they symbolize eternity, i.e., the famous Yin-Yang symbol.

 

Chinese emperors literally thought they were the real dragons and Sons of Heaven. Thus, the beds they slept on are called "dragon beds;" the throne, a "dragon seat;" and the emperor's ceremonial dresses are known as "dragon robes."

 

In the minds of the early Chinese people, the dragon was a god that embodied the will and ideals of the Chinese people. It is said that the dragon is a large-scaled reptile, which can become dark or bright, large or small, long or short, and fly into the sky in the spring and live underwater in the fall.  It seems that the dragon is capable of doing almost anything.

 

Traditionally, the dragons were considered the governors of rainfalls in Chinese culture. They had the power to decide where and when it would rain. They also believed kings of water dragons lived in dragon palaces under the ocean. The Chinese sign for the dragon appeared during the Yin and Shang dynasties (16th-11th century BC -- the period of the earliest Chinese hieroglyphs), between inscriptions on bones and turtle shields. The inscriptions depicted a horned reptile, with teeth, scales and sometimes even claws.

 

In ancient China, nobody had any doubt about the existence of dragons. People showed great respect for any depictions of dragons -- in paintings, carvings and writings. As a result, the dragon became the symbol of the Chinese nation. All people in China, including the emperor, prostrated themselves before the image of a dragon with reverence and awe. As a result, this fictional creature became the spiritual sustenance for the nation first as the totem of a tribe and then as the symbol of the nation. Eventually, the dragon became the symbol on the national flag of the last feudal dynasty, the Qing Dynasty. The Chinese people considered themselves the descendants of the dragon.

 

As the emblem of the emperor and imperial command, the legend of the Chinese dragon permeates the ancient Chinese civilization and has shaped its culture. Its benevolence signifies greatness, goodness and blessings.

 

The Chinese dragon symbolizes power and excellence, valiancy and boldness, heroism and perseverance, nobility and divinity. A dragon overcomes obstacles to achieve success. He is energetic, decisive, optimistic, intelligent and ambitious.

 

Owl Symbolism in Ancient China

Owl (猫头鹰 - māotóuyīng) – The harbinger of death…

 

In ancient China, as in many places of the world, the owl was considered an ominous creature, for its appearance supposedly signaled imminent disaster or, even worse, death. Thus, an owl’s entry inside the residence of Jai Yi, a Taoist politician during the Han dynasty (206 BCE – 220 CE), spurred him to serious spiritual contemplation. The statesman, however, discovered profound inspiration in the superstitions of his peers.

 

 

 

In his poem “The Owl,” Jai Yi questions the creature as to why it has come to him. The bird, of course, is incapable of speaking. Nevertheless, the poet imagines the owl’s response, and in that answer the raptor imparts not warnings but, rather, wisdom:

 

    ‘Disaster is what fortune leans on;

 

     fortune’s where disaster hides.

 

    Joy and grief find the same door, as

 

    good luck and bad find the same seat.’

 

 The lengthy discourse from the feathered intruder includes the lines above, as translated by Tony Barnstone and Chou Ping, before eventually closing with the following statement:

 

    ‘Be free and have trust in your fate

 

    and be a man who seeks what’s true

 

    and though the thorns and weeds may scrape,

 

    what can such trifles mean to you?’

 

 

 

Condition

 

As noted above, although this jade amulet/axe table is lightly pitted and shows some signs of differential weathering, including darkened, natural fissure line in the jade—it has a wonderful ancient, orange patina.  It has not been repaired or restored and is in “as found” condition. The plaque does have a small, 16mm chip in the upper left side--on the corner.

 

The black spots in this jade plaque are iron deposits that are completely normal.  Iron is what makes jade dark, so generally the more iron a piece has, the darker it will be. 

 

As noted earlier, the center hole represents Heaven (T’ien in Chinese).  The holes have been drilled by ancient hand tools at low RPM from both sides of the amulet--see macro photos.  These are period correct and have a wonderful layer of calcium and micro-crystalline jade inside the bore holes—just perfect.

 

I have examined this piece under 10x and 80x magnification and it shows no signs of modern tool marks--only hand tools were used to make this amulet.  It has been cut, carved, shaped, and drilled with ancient hand tools.  I also examined it under Black Light and found no signs of repairs or modern carving.  Modern drills would have drilled the hole straight and true--and not larger on the outer edge of the hole or a groove in the center.  Thus, these ancient, drilled holes are another sign that this amulet is original and authentic. 

 NOTE:  This is a stunning, historical masterpiece of Neolithic Chinese jade carving and worthy of the finest museums or private collections.  We prefer that this rare and extremely expensive artifact be a “pick-up only” item, and suggest that the new buyer make arrangements for pick up and/or shipping at their own liability and expense.