Jades from the Tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng: Characteristics of Jades from the Eastern Zhou Period and Their Relationship with the Middle Springs and Autumns Ritual Restructuring

The focus and starting point of this study is a group of jades excavated from the tomb of the Marquis Yi of Zeng (died 430 BC). This undisturbed tomb yielded nearly three hundreds pieces of jade; they were well preserved and were highly representative for their remarkable quality and workmanship.;Lothar von Falkenhausen proposed that a political movement occurred around 600 B.C., which resembled the Late Western Zhou Ritual Reform (circa 850 B.C.). He entitled this movement "the Middle Springs and Autumns Ritual Restructuring." 1 This "Restructuring" was advocated by a group of rulers of local polities who wished to strengthen their newly established kingdoms and reinstate social order through the restoration of religious and ritual ceremonies of the Western Zhou period. The "Restructuring" was characterized by a shift of social hierarchy and a change in religious content which had significant impact on people's lives in Eastern Zhou society. The main intention of this research is to find out the characteristics of jades from the Eastern Zhou Period and their relationship with the "Restructuring".;This investigation proceeds from four major perspectives. The first section studies how the set of sumptuary rules in the ceremonial system established after the "Western Zhou Ritual Reform" have been restored by the ruling class after the "Restructuring". This research has revealed that a new ceremonial system has been established after the "Restructuring" to justify users' political and social status. The second section examines the changing roles of jade in everyday contexts after the "Restructuring", from the perspectives of its value, function, and significance in society. The research has shown that although the feudal system has collapsed gradually with rapid social mobilization, jades were mostly confined to the upper class during the entire Eastern Zhou period. Their marvelous craftsmanship and enormous size were used to display users' political power, extraordinary taste and wealth.;The third section will look at the issues surrounding the use and understanding of archaic jades during this period. The "Restructuring" advocated the restoration of religious cult and ritual of Late Western Zhou period, which lead to the employment of archaic jade and motifs borrowed from bronzes as potent political symbol and legitimacy. The fourth section discusses the ways in which the emergence of new religious ideologies affected the manufacturing of jades for burial. The belief of the afterworld and the existence of soul affected the production of burial jades in terms of functions, form and style. These burial jades show that the religious transformation of the Qin and Han Dynasty was, in fact, originated during the Warring States Period.;Furthermore, differentiation of jades used among different social classes is also considered throughout these discussions. Finally, this research concludes with the discussion of the discourse of the existence of regional differences of jade from the Eastern Zhou period; the outcome of the "Restructuring" and the characteristics of jade excavated from the Tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng. This research is the only in-depth study of the Marquis Yi's jades known to date and should fill a major gap thirty years after their excavation.;1Lothar von Falkenhausen, Chinese Society in the Age of Confucius (1000-250 BC): The Archaeological Evidence (Los Angeles: Cotsen Institute of Archaeology, University of California, 2006).