Editing Chinese culture (section)

=== Chinese jade ===
{{Main|Chinese jade}}
[[File:Bi with two dragons and grain pattern.jpg|thumb|right|A Chinese jade named [[Bi (jade)|Bi]](璧) with a dual dragon motif, [[Warring States period]]]]
Chinese jade (玉) refers to the [[jade]] [[mining|mined]] or [[hardstone carving|carved]] in China from the [[Neolithic]] onward. It is the primary [[hardstone]] of [[Chinese sculpture]]. Although deep and bright green [[jadeite]] is better known in Europe, for most of China's history, jade has come in a variety of colors and white "mutton-fat" [[nephrite]] was the most highly praised and prized. Native sources in [[Henan]] and along the [[Yangtze]] were exploited since prehistoric times and have largely been exhausted; most Chinese jade today is extracted from the northwestern [[provinces of the People's Republic of China|province]] of [[Xinjiang]]. Jade was prized for its [[scratch hardness|hardness]], [[toughness|durability]], [[yayue|musical qualities]], and beauty.<ref name=fieryglo/> In particular, its subtle, translucent colors and protective qualities<ref name=fieryglo>Fiero, Gloria K. ''The Humanistic Tradition'' 6th Ed, Vol. I. McGraw-Hill, 2010.</ref> caused it to become associated with Chinese conceptions of the [[Chinese soul|soul]] and [[Taoist immortal|immortality]].<ref>Pope-Henessey, Chapter II. {{full citation needed|date=March 2019}}</ref> The most prominent early use was the crafting of the '''Six Ritual Jades''',<!--Linked here. Kindly leave bolded til separate article.--> found since the 3rd-millennium BC [[Liangzhu culture]]: the ''[[jade bi|bi]]'', the ''[[jade cong|cong]]'', the ''[[huang (jade)|huang]]'', the ''hu'', the ''gui'', and the ''zhang''.<ref>Pope-Henessey, Chapter IV. {{full citation needed|date=March 2019}}</ref> Although these items are so ancient that their original meaning is uncertain, by the time of the composition of the ''[[Rites of Zhou]]'', they were thought to represent the [[tian|sky]], the [[di (Chinese concept)|earth]], and the [[Four Symbols (China)|four directions]]. By the [[Han dynasty]], the royal family and prominent lords were buried entirely ensheathed in [[jade burial suits]] sewn in gold thread, on the idea that it would preserve the body and the souls attached to it. Jade was also thought to combat fatigue in the living.<ref name=fieryglo/> The Han also greatly improved prior artistic treatment of jade.<ref>{{cite book |title=Arts of China, 1600–1900 |author1=William Watson |author2=Chuimei Ho |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lYYvsRdxsX4C&pg=PA77 |page=77 |isbn=978-0-300-10735-7 |year=2007 |publisher=Yale University Press |access-date=30 October 2017 |archive-date=22 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231022223518/https://books.google.com/books?id=lYYvsRdxsX4C&pg=PA77#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref> These uses gave way after the [[Three Kingdoms period]] to [[Chinese Buddhism|Buddhist]] practices and new developments in [[Taoism]] such as [[Chinese alchemy|alchemy]]. Nonetheless, jade remained part of [[traditional Chinese medicine]] and an important artistic medium. Although its use never became widespread in [[Japan]], jade became important to the art of [[Korean jade carving|Korea]] and Southeast Asia.