On China's Ancient Burial Yu

China is a country that has an extraordinary long history (over 10,000 years) of jade consumption and rich jade culture. Jade articles in ancient China started from being divine utility used in sorcery, and gradually became the symbol of regality, which resultedin rigorous hierarchical system governing the use of jade.The focus of this paper is a branch of the jade culture - mortuary jade.The culture of mortuary jade continued from Da Wen Kou civilization to Wei Jin Era, lasted over 4,000 years. It can be categorized into three phases: the primary period, from Neolithic age to Yin Shang Era; the developing period, from Western Zhou Dynasty to the Warring States period; and the peak period, Han Dynasty. Han Dynasty can be further divided into early Western Han period, middle and late Western Han period, and Eastern Han period. Mortuary jade culture reached its peak during Han Dynasty. Mortuary jade culture gradually died off during Western Han Dynasty to Wei Jin Era, and didn't surface again afterward.The evolution sequence of the mortuary jade types can roughly be traced as: jade mouth-filler and jade handhold first appeared in Neolithic age (with jade mouth-filler slightly earlier), jade mask appeared in early Western Zhou Dynasty, partial jade suit appeared in the Spring and Autumn period, full jade suit and jade plug appeared in Han Dynasty.Jade suit has always being a hotspot in the mortuary jade culture study, because it has very high culture and economic value. For quite a long time people thought the form of jade suit was a full garment made of jade patches joined together to cover the entire body. However, there was likely existed another form of incomplete suit made of fabric and jade patches, which I call it the partial jade suit. It was the predecessor of the full jade suit. However, it was never replaced by the latter, but coexisted until both perished.Mortuary jade has rich culture symbolic meanings. For instance jade mouth-filler symbolized food and content, jade handhold symbolized wealth and power, jade suit and jade plug symbolized immortality and eternity, etc.The evolution of mortuary jade was influenced by the luxury funeral custom resulted from the Confucian piety culture in ancient China. It was also influenced by the metaphysics and Taoism ideology of immortality, resurrection and rising to heaven during Han Dynasty. It gradually disappeared during the Tri-Kingdom period under the influence of Buddhism, and became a legendary history and culture relic for latecomers.