Bi (jade) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bi |
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A Han-era bi, 16 cm in diameter.
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The bi (pronounced bee) is a special type of round, flat object from ancient China. It has a circular hole in its center. Most bi are made from jade, a beautiful and strong stone.
The very first bi were created a long, long time ago during the Neolithic period (the New Stone Age). This was especially true for the Liangzhu culture, which existed from about 3400 to 2250 BCE. Later, bi were also made during the Shang dynasty, Zhou dynasty, and Han dynasty. Some were even made from glass.
Contents
What Does a Bi Look Like?
A bi is a flat, round jade disc with a hole in the middle. The earliest bi from the Neolithic period were quite plain. But bi from later times, like the Zhou dynasty, had more and more fancy carvings. These carvings often showed patterns like hexagons or images of gods linked to the sky. They also stood for good qualities or powers that the owner wanted to have.
Making these bi discs took a lot of hard work and skill. Because of this, they show that only a few powerful people had enough resources and workers to create them.
What Did the Bi Mean?
Over time, people in China started to connect the bi disc with the sky or heaven. Another ancient object, the cong, was linked to the earth. This idea of the bi representing heaven and the cong representing earth became very important in Chinese culture.
The round shape of the bi disc also had a special meaning. It was part of early ideas about the universe. These ideas suggested that the sky was like a covering that spun around a central point. Bi discs were used by shamans, who were like religious leaders. They helped pass on knowledge about the universe.
How Was the Bi Used?
From the very beginning, bi discs were buried with people who had died. They were seen as a symbol of the sky, helping the dead person travel to the afterlife or "sky." Often, a cong (earth symbol) was also buried with the body. Bi discs were carefully placed on the bodies of important people in their graves, sometimes near the stomach or chest.
Throughout Chinese history, jade objects like bi discs showed that a person had good morals. They also showed a person's high social rank. Bi were used in religious ceremonies and worship. For example, different types of bi discs and other jade objects called guis showed the rank of leaders, from emperor down to baron.
During the Zhou dynasty (around 1046–256 BCE), bi discs were even used in war. When one army lost, their leaders would give their bi discs to the winning side. This showed that they were giving up and accepting defeat.
Even today, experts are not completely sure about every single way bi discs were used or what all their meanings were.
The Qianlong Emperor and the Bi
In 1790 AD, a famous emperor named Qianlong from the Qing Dynasty found an ancient bi disc. He had a message carved onto it. He also wrote a poem about it, wondering if it was a stand for a bowl.
The emperor thought the bi was a stand for a bowl, even though it was very old. So, he found a ceramic bowl from a famous kiln (a type of oven for pottery) and placed it on the bi. He then had messages carved onto the bowl to match the ones on the bi disc. This particular bi disc was later used in the Qianlong Emperor's own funeral. Bi discs were often used in the funerals of very important people. Today, this bi disc is kept in the British Museum in London.
Modern Influences
The design of the medals given out at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China, was inspired by the ancient bi discs. The back of the medals looked like a bi.
Gallery
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A Western Han dynasty bi with dragon designs, from the 4th – 2nd century BC.
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A jade bi in the Shaanxi History Museum, Xi'an.
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A jade disc (bi) made of nephrite jade. From the Liangzhu Culture, around 2500 BCE. Now in the Victoria and Albert Museum.
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See also
- Dropa stones
- Glass bi disks
- Huang (jade)
- Mr. He's jade
- Rai stones
