JADE CHARM


During the late Han Dynasty, c. 150-200 CE, Prince Liu Sheng was buired with a jade charm. There are two dragons on either side, their heads facing outward, their tails meeting atop a sacred 'bi' or ring of heaven. The charm indicates the connection between the celestial spirits and their legitimate representatives on earth..


Points to Ponder:

-- Why would this charm contain a circle? Are circles symbols in other cultures as well? Of what?
-- What might the dragons represent?
-- Why two dragons? Is this in any way related to Chinese philosophy?



Source: Cultural Relics Publishing House, Bejing in Empires Ascendant (Time Life Books, 1987): 41.

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