Bi (jade)

The bi is a form of circular jade artifact from ancient China. The earliest ''bi'' were produced in the Neolithic period, particularly by the Liangzhu culture . Later examples date mainly from the , and dynasties. They were also made in .

Description

A ''bi'' is a flat jade disc with a circular hole in the centre. Neolithic ''bi'' are undecorated, while those of later periods of China, like the Zhou dynasty, bear increasingly ornate surface carving whose motifs represented deities associated with the sky as well as standing for qualities and powers the wearer wanted to invoke or embody.

As laboriously crafted objects, they testify to the concentration of power and resources in the hands of a small elite.

Meaning

Later traditions associate the ''bi'' with heaven, and the '''' with the earth. Bi disks are consistently found with heaven and earth-like imagery, suggesting that the disk's circular shape also bears symbolic significance as this description explains:

It is found that these objects testify to early stages of development of cosmological concepts that remained important in Chinese culture during the Warring States and Han periods: the notion of a covering sky that revolves around a central axis, the cycle of the Ten Suns, and the use of an early form of the carpenter's square. These objects were handled by shamans who were the religious leaders of Liangzhu society and the transmitters of cosmological knowledge.

Function

The original function and significance of the ''bi'' are unknown, as the Neolithic cultures have no written history. From these earliest times they were buried with the dead, as a sky symbol, accompanying the dead into the after world or "sky", with the cong which connected the body with the earth. They were placed ceremonially on the body in the grave of aristocrats. ''Bi'' are sometimes found near the stomach and chest in neolithic burials.

Jade, like bi disks, has been used throughout Chinese history to indicate an individual of moral quality, and has also served as an important symbol of rank. They were used in worship and ceremony – as ceremonial items they symbolised the ranks of emperor, king, duke, marquis, viscount, and baron with four different ''kweis'' and two different bi disks.

In war during the Zhou dynasty period , bi disks belonging to the leaders of the defeated forces were handed over to the victor as a sign of submission.

The design of the reverse side of the medals given in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, are based on bi disks.