Confucius, the great educator and thinker of ancient China, said in the Analects of the Analects: "Gentlemen are harmonious but different", advocating that "harmony" is not the same, "harmony" and "symbiosis and co-growth, and "different" promotes each other, complements each other and does not conflict with each other.
From a philosophical point of view, if harmony is harmony, unity, then the same is the same, is consistent; and the harmony is abstract, intrinsic, concrete, external. Harmony and difference, the essence of which is to recognize diversity and difference, and to pursue inner harmony and unity, rather than superficial similarity and consistency, as was the case with Song Dynasty jade.
Beaded spring water belt ornament Song-Jin Song Dynasty Jade Art Museum
In terms of the boundaries of modern China, there were two Song, Liao, Jin, Western Xia, Xizhou Uighurs, Khotanese, Dali, Tubo and Mongol regimes within the boundaries. Although each regime belongs to the same time and space, due to the difference in national culture, customs, costumes, aesthetics, and beliefs are different, but because of the existence of the beautiful object of "jade", the countries that are looking at the tiger and the flames and disputes have more opportunities for exchanges and dialogues.
A full map of political districts during the Northern Song Dynasty
Two of them, the art of Song dynasty jade is the most prosperous, song dynasty jade thrives in such a complex international environment, and becomes more extraordinary, elegant and quiet under the immersion of Song Yun culture. Relying on the philosophy of living in the world and providing cultural and artistic nourishment for the people within the jade culture, and advocating a positive dialogue and exchange attitude to neighboring countries, the jade culture has been expanded to the vast East Asian region, and it has become an excellent traditional Chinese culture recognized and developed by the phenomenon-level multi-country, multi-ethnic and multi-cultural common recognition.
White Jade Horse, Deer Song Suzhou Museum
In the process of harmony and difference between Song Dynasty jade and foreign countries, the jade ware shows the difference and diversity of jade culture, and also bursts out the power to create unity and commonality. On the one hand, the self-excellent and wonderful jade culture and art is vigorously promoted and exported, and at the same time, it actively absorbs the culture and art of different regions to reconcile and balance it, so as to achieve the state of holding the middle or seeking the middle, providing more diversified and rich choices for more habits or preferences.
Agate Bowl Song National Museum of China
9cm in diameter, 3.2cm in height, 52 g in weight
At this time, a number of strong non-Han regimes have risen around the Great Song Dynasty, among which the Liao established by the Khitan in the northern steppe, the Jin established by the Jurchen and the Yuan established by the Mongols, are not only brave and good at war, but also have the most colorful jade culture and the Song Dynasty jade culture exchanges.
Song - Liao Jin Yuan
The Liao Dynasty was founded in 907, 53 years before the Song Dynasty, so the Liao jade had a Tang style in the early days. After the Establishment and Destruction of the Northern Han Dynasty by the Song Dynasty, the Song and Liao dynasties began a 25-year-long long war dominated by territorial disputes in the Yanyun region, culminating in the alliance between the Liaoyuan. A hundred years later, the Jin Dynasty was established, and Emperor Huizong of Song and Emperor Taizu of Jin made an alliance on the sea and attacked the Liao state in 1125.
Yuyan Liao Inner Mongolia Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology
The tomb of Princess Chen Guo of Qinglongshan Town, Naiman Banner, Tongliao City, was excavated
During the 165 years, the Liao state repeatedly donated jade to the Song Dynasty, and there is a record in the literature that the Liao people in the second year of the Zhezong Dynasty asked for help from the Xia people to "still offer jade belts". Because in 989, the envoys from Khotan came to the Liao Dynasty to pay tribute and accepted the title of the Great Palace of Khotan, and nominally became a vassal state of the Liao Dynasty, so the jade obtained was more and the jade was exquisite. So far, archaeology has found more than 60 Liao Dynasty tombs, towers and cellar sites unearthed about 400 pieces (groups) of Liao Dynasty jade and more than 2,000 pieces.
Jade Silver Belt Liaoning Inner Mongolia Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology
The strap is 163.7cm long, 4.4cm wide, and the short strap is 28.4cm long.
The tomb of Princess Chen Guo in Tongliao City, Inner Mongolia was excavated
Among them, the joint burial tomb of Princess Chen Guo and The Horse Found in Naiman Banner, Inner Mongolia is the most abundant Khitan imperial tomb with excavated jade. Taking this as an example, we can find that its jade culture was first influenced by the jade culture of the Han people in the Central Plains. There are various combinations of jade pendants that embody wind objects, such as Xiao Sheng Pei, Pisces Pei, Spiral Pendant, Cross-necked Mandarin Duck Pei, Hongyan Pei and so on.
Top left: Jiao-neck hongyan jade pei Liao Inner Mongolia Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology
Top right: Pisces Jade Pei Liao Inner Mongolia Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology
Bottom: Fish-shaped jade box Liaoning Inner Mongolia Museum
However, they also retain distinct ethnic and regional characteristics while accepting the Han jade culture. There are not only the indispensable costumes and costumes of the horseback people and the decorative jade on the harness, such as silver gilt and gold inlaid with dragon pattern jade waist, jade silver horse network, inlaid jade silver belt, etc.; there are also tools and equipment necessary for nomadic fishing and hunting life, such as jade handle silver cone, jade handle silver knife, jade arm, etc.; there are also Capricorn jade pendants that reflect Buddhist beliefs, which are obviously different from the jade in the Song and Han regions.
Silver cone with sheathed jade handle Liao Inner Mongolia Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology
Gilded jade handle knife Liao Inner Mongolia Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology
Silver gilt inlaid dragon pattern jade hanging waist Liao Inner Mongolia Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology
In addition, the Khitan also liked brightly colored agate, amber, and crystal products, which was also a phenomenon different from the jade of the Song Dynasty.
Left: Crystal ear cup Liao Inner Mongolia Museum
Medium: Cicada-shaped amber Liao Inner Mongolia Museum
Right: Agate Arm Whip Liao Chifeng City Museum
In the process of exchanges with the Liao, the Song Dynasty scholars also maintained their appreciation for the shape, pattern and aesthetic of the Liao jade and gradually combined it, adding a trace of exotic elements to the track of Confucian orthodoxy, and mixing a new vitality into the jade that was conventionally based on "Yazheng", becoming more diverse, deeper, more gorgeous, and more inclusive.
Bai Yukui, Song, Palace Museum
Length 6.6, spoon diameter 3*3.7cm
White jade begonia-shaped belt decoration Southern Song Dynasty Shanghai Municipal Cultural Relics Management Committee
The LiTa Underground Palace in Songjiang District, Shanghai was excavated
The Jurchens of the Jin Dynasty, like the Khitans, were ethnic groups that achieved meritorious deeds on horseback. The grassland meaning of the Jin Dynasty jade is more than that of the Liao Dynasty, and the "Spring Water Jade" and "Qiushan Jade" with the theme of the spring and autumn fishing and hunting ("Spring Bowl" and "Autumn Bowl") unique to the grassland people have become an important theme of the Jin Dynasty jade, although they are based on aquatic plants, birds, birds, and mountains and forests as the theme of expression, but they are very different from the flower and bird theme jade carvings of the Song Dynasty literati.
Crane pecking swan ornament Liaojin
Double deer pattern with ring gold dollar
Collection of the National Museum of China
Akiyama Jade as Gold Shanghai Museum
However, the close economic and cultural exchanges between the Jin Dynasty and the Great Song Dynasty are also reflected in the jade from time to time, which is also difficult to distinguish from each other, such as the jade turtle you pei excavated from the tomb of Wugulun Wolun, which is very similar to many jade turtles unearthed from the Song Dynasty, and the jade objects such as the double crane pendant, the folded branch flower pendant, and the tangled bamboo section pendant excavated from the Changgou Yujin Tomb are full of the purpose of the literati painting, and we generally think of it as the jade of the Northern Song Dynasty.
The tomb of the green jade turtle nest lotus leaf Pekin Ogulun Wolun was excavated
White jade turtle lotus leaf ornament Song Guanghan City Cultural Relics Management Office
Green jade hollow bamboo branch pendant, skeletonized folded branch flower pendant, double crane title Zhi pei
Northern Song Dynasty Capital Museum
The Song Dynasty also absorbed more jin jade art elements in the cultural exchange with the Jin Dynasty, and the jade objects such as beautiful color carvings and spring water and autumn mountains were increasing, and the depth and breadth of the artistic level crossed a new class. However, while taking the Pattern of the Golden Kingdom, it is appropriately adjusted, such as the fierce tiger dog deer in the Jade of the Liaojin Autumn Mountain, which is more docile and peaceful in the Song Dynasty; the Jade of the Liaojin Spring Water Pattern is usually a fierce and bloody Pecking Swan, while the Spring Water Pattern of the Song Dynasty is appropriately added on the basis of which the Lotus Lotus Mushroom is appropriately added to create a small scene of the lotus pond that is elegant and peaceful.
White jade tiger-shaped ornaments Song Nanjing Museum
Qingyu Double Tiger Water Cheng Song Dynasty Jade Art Museum
Chun Shui Jade ornament Gold Shanghai Museum
White Jade Spring Water Map Furnace Top Song Dynasty Jade Art Museum
The monarchs and courtiers of the two countries attach great importance to and love jade, which stems from their admiration for the Culture of the Central Plains and the continuous integration with the Han culture, which also makes the jade of Liaojin reflect the brilliance of multiculturalism, the interaction and integration of the nomadic grassland culture and the Buddhist culture and the exotic culture spread along the Silk Road, the infinite condensation on the highly inclusive jade, and the spiritual and aesthetic tastes of the Khitan and Jurchen nationalities and the level of liaojin jade craftsmanship can also be observed.
White jade ribbon bird-like flower pendant Song-Jin Capital Museum
The Tomb of Wugulun Wolun in Fengtai, Beijing, was excavated. The jade pendant is hollowed out to produce five-petaled flowers, buds, and branches, with clear veins and neat teeth.
At the time of the liao's decline in jin, the Mongols in the north rose by leaps and bounds with the unusually warm period of the steppe, and Jin Tai and the four-year Mongol leader Temujin unified the Mongol tribes on the Mongolian plateau through war. Kim Tae and Six Years Temujin were elected "Genghis Khan" by various tribes, and the Mongol Empire was established, with the name of the Great Mongol State, and then the Jin and Song dynasties and the Zhou Frontier were successively annexed.
Full administrative map of the Yuan Dynasty
The Yuan Dynasty annexed the land of Song and Liaojin, the Mongol cavalry entered the Central Plains, if you want to consolidate its rule must accept the highly developed Central Plains culture, the rulers also had to pay attention to the carving and use of jade, set up "Zhulu Golden Jade Craftsman General Administration, in charge of all roads of jade craftsmanship", "Shangdu, Dadu Road Mink Soft Skin and other bureaus of the bureau of the collar office · Agate Jade Bureau", "Hangzhou Road Jinyu General Administration" and other three government agencies that manage the jade industry and a number of official jade workshops, this kind of "grinding jade" The important sector of the industry reflects that the Mongol ruling group adheres to the Han cultural system, and the concept of jade worship and the system of using jade remains the same.
Dragon stripe ornament Yuan Shanghai Museum
Peacock flower jade hat top Yuan National Museum
White Jade Tiger Head With Yuan Yuan National Museum
Judging from the remains of its jade, the jade of the Yuan Dynasty is artistically biased towards the Song Dynasty, but the shape, pattern, and technical rules are the same as those of the Song, Liao, and Jin jade, and there is no huge and profound difference. Official and folk jade use can be known through the tombs of Wang Shixian, Anqing Fan Wenhu, Lü Shimeng of WuXian County, and Zhang Shicheng's parents in Suzhou. The Palace Museum and provincial and municipal museums also have a considerable collection of Yuan Dynasty jade, and there is no shortage of works with high artistic level. From the jade artifacts of the Yuan Dynasty, it can be seen that their artistic tradition is better than innovation, and inheritance is better than development.
Top left: Jade belt ornament Yuan Zhangxian Museum
Top right: Qingyu Tiger Button Yuan Anhui Provincial Museum
Bottom left: Yu QiHuan Yuan Lü Shi Meng's tomb was excavated
Bottom right: White jade belt Yuan Suzhou Museum
Through border trade and diplomatic activities, the Song Dynasty scholars and craftsmen obtained the corresponding Liaojinyuan cultural elements and characteristic patterns into the design and production, showing the world an open and inclusive cultural mindset. In turn, song dynasty jade in the shape, theme, connotation to the Liaojinyuan jade art deep and long-term impact, taking the dragon pattern as an example, Song - Liao - Jin - Yuan have corresponding jade carving works in existence, but we can be relatively confident and convenient to distinguish, but at the same time slightly controversial, far from the Tang Dynasty Five Dynasties Dragon pattern and Song Liao Jinyuan difference, that is, Song Yun culture in the external culture to maintain harmony at the same time has a personality, not similar, not attached.
Top left: White jade carved dragon pendant Song Palace Museum
Top right: Jade hollow dragon pattern plate Song-Liao National Palace Museum, Taipei
Bottom left: Green and gray jade sitting dragon Jin Tongliao City Museum
Bottom right: Mo Yuyun Dragon Ornament Yuan National Museum of China
The jade art of the Song Dynasty recognized the diversity, differences and differences of culture with a high degree of artistic connotation, and also meant acknowledging contradictions and conflicts, and even confrontations. However, acknowledging these contradictions and conflicts is not to make all compromises on other cultures, but to uphold the attitude of harmony and difference to tolerate more differences and differences, so this is the higher realm and important significance of Song Yun culture.
Top left: White Jade Begonia Ring Song Zheng Gangzhong Tomb Unearthed Jinhua City Museum
Top right: White Jade Begonia Ring Liaojin National Museum of China
Bottom: Begonia-shaped jade ring Yuan Feng Daozhen tomb excavated Datong City Museum
Song - Khotan, Uighur, Western Xia
Khotan, Uighurs, and Western Xia were far away in Western China and received less influence from the Central Plains Han culture, but while establishing diplomatic ties with the Song Dynasty, they felt the treasure and respect of the Song Dynasty's monarchs for jade, and in later exchange activities, they either offered or sold a steady stream of jade, laying the necessary material foundation for the jade culture of the Song Dynasty.
Qingyuhu Song Changshu Museum
Khotan was the source and supply of Jade in the Song Dynasty, and Uighurs and Western Xia were the necessary places for the Jade Road of the Song Dynasty, and these three countries greatly influenced the processing and production of Jade in the Song Dynasty. Fortunately, in the early years of the establishment of the Northern Song Dynasty, they sent people to establish contact with the Song Dynasty, laying the necessary political environment for the opening of the jade road and the export of jade culture. The Taizu Benji records that the Uighur Shazhou, the Guazhou Offering Ofyu Saddle Horse, and the Khotanese King's Donation of Jade materials to make jade seals and jade belts are recorded: "In November of the second year of Jianlong, The Sandbar and Guazhou Offered Jade Saddle Horse... In December of the third year, the King of Khotan entered... Five hundred pounds of jade, five hundred pounds of amber."
Map of Khotanese Uighur and Western Xia political districts during the Northern Song Dynasty
Although Khotan and Uighurs committed themselves to entering the river to find jade to produce or donate to countries such as Song or Liaojin, they rarely found jade products from this period in their countries, only the Uighurs saw a three-mouth jade lamp in Urumqi in the old land, and then the two places gradually developed the jade industry, and all kinds of utensils made of jade also existed.
Three-mouthed white jade lamp Song Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Museum
Height 12.4cm
Song - Dali
Located on the southwestern frontier of the mainland, dali's territory is equivalent to that of the Nanzhao state during the Tang Dynasty, which was established by Duan Siping in 937 and destroyed in 1253 for a total of 316 years, which is consistent with the Great Song Dynasty. However, in view of the lessons of the Nanzhao against the Tang, it was not until 1115 that Emperor Huizong of Song agreed to Dali's request to establish vassal relations.
Crystal A-Lu Buddha Seated Statue Song Dali Guo Yunnan Provincial Museum
Due to the remote location of Dali, the jade excavated in Dali during this period was mainly crystal and agate, and the process was relatively simple and rough, but it reflected the exchange between song and Dali in jade carving. For example, the Vajrapani and vajra pestles were both weapons of ancient India, and were later used by Buddhist tantra as dharma-fixing instruments. Dali Guoguo unearthed a large number of copper cast vajra pestles and crystal ring vajrapani, and Liao and Song also have many jade vajra pestle excavations, which shows that the song dynasty jade art is not limited to Han cultural themes, but also boldly "introduced" to exotic cultures, and contributed to its re-dissemination process.
Right: Crystal Ring King Kong Song Dali Guo Yunnan Provincial Museum
Top left: Jade Vajra Pestle Liaoning North Pagoda Museum, Chaoyang City, Liaoning Province
Bottom left: White jade vajra pestle ornament Song Nanjing Museum
Song Liao - Goryeo
As the Song Dynasty, the Goryeo state across the sea pursued a pragmatic foreign policy in the contest between Song Liao and Song Jin, using small things to ensure their own interests. The Song Dynasty tried to tie the knot with Goryeo by strategically pinning down Liaojin, who forced Goryeo to submit by force, but was also wary of Goryeo's alliance with the Song Dynasty. As a result, diplomatic relations between the Song and Goryeo were intermittent, and diplomatic activities between the two countries were often promoted through the medium of merchants.
Jade ornaments Goryeo National Museum of Korea
From 994 AD, Goryeo began to use the Khitan era name unification and worship the Khitan Zhengshuo, so the jade works of the Goryeo period had a thick Liaojin style, but due to their remote location and poor jade quality, they were ridiculed by the Jin kingdom. Jin Shi Liechuan, Vol. 73, Foreign Descent, Goryeo: "In the seventeenth year, He Zhengdan presented that the jade belt was like a jade, and there was a division to ask for questions, saying: 'Those who are incompetent in the small country mistakenly think that they are jade ears, and there is no need to ask.' 'It's over. Although these rings are more closely related to The Liaojin Jade, they also have a hint of the meaning of the Song Dynasty Lotus Pond Fish Algae Goose, showing the strong vitality and radiation of the Song Dynasty jade art.
The spirit of the times called for modernization should be recast in the profound accumulation of traditional culture, which should not only highlight the leading and mainstream, but also emphasize harmony and cooperation, that is, it should be harmonious and different from the Song Yun culture, and avoid the same or not. By analyzing the external export and introduction of Sinicization of the jade culture of the Central Plains at that time with the jade of the Song Dynasty as the center, it tells us that we must not only respect and abandon the roots of Chinese culture, adhere to and innovate the soul of Chinese culture, but also have tolerance and reference from excellent foreign culture.
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