The Bead Strings with Jade Huang Pendents of the Zhou Period of China: Revived Tradition or Adopted Fashion

Summary

Among the numerous neck/chest ornaments consisting of jade huang pendants (arc-shaped jade pieces) in Chinese archaeological finds, two distinct groups are most noteworthy: the Neolithic (5th-3rd millennia BCE) necklaces from the lower Yangzi valley and the early 1st millennium bead strings of Western Zhou period in the mid and lower Yellow River Valley. Due to the fact that huang pendant is mentioned in Chinese texts as important ancient ritual paraphernalia, these unique artifacts have become topics of scholarly interest with regard to their origins, evolution, and ritual meanings. Moreover, archaeological studies suggest that aside from reflecting the rekindled interests in past cultural traditions, the bead strings with jade huang pendants of Western Zhou period likely have witnessed communications and stimulus from outside cultures. The use of multi-colored body ornaments that prevailed during the 2nd Millennium BCE in Gansu/Qinghai and the Loess Plateau of Northern China, such as those consisting of carnelian, turquoise beads, and arc-shaped pendants in metal materials, possibly have acted as a catalyst for the mergence of a new fashion in Western Zhou.

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This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)   •
• The Dynamism of Contact and Exchange in Early Central and East Asia

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