Cong, symbol of Earth

The cong occasionally appeared during the late Neolithic period (c. 2500 B.C.) in the Western Zhou, in western Shaanxi (Northwest China). One of the six ritual jades, it was among the most impressive and least understood of all ancient Chinese jades and never held any important position even at the end of the Zhou period.* Like the zhang, the cong did not have a long or continuous history. There are variations of cong. Based on appearance, there are two broad categories: cong that are relatively tall in proportion to their width and the shorter cong. Although the common design of the cong consists of a decorated (with distinctive taotie face designs) or undecorated tube with a square outer cross-section and a circular inner hole, bracelet-shaped jades also display similar characteristics of the cong.** This cong comprises a large block of semi-translucent creamy-white nephrite with light brown veining (densely at one end) and a large dark brown blotch at one corner. The unilateral arrangement of patterns on this object is curious. Its sides are subdivided into four sections marked by horizontal divisions; each carries shallow ridges and a smaller band decorated with key-fret motifs on the top ridges. The tube has two open ends: the upper and lower short collars are also square in the cross-section with rounded corners. The two sides of the inner hole taper to the middle segment as if drilled from both ends. In ancient Chinese cultures, the square shape of the cong is emblematic of Earth and the central circular hole is emblematic of Heaven. Having been subjected to numerous interpretations, the cong has been related to totemism and shamanism by contemporary scholars. It is generally thought of as appearing only in men's tombs. The combination of all elements such as its opaque function, square and circular forms, decorative motifs, designs, and sizes contribute to the intrigue of the cong. * Jessica Rawson quotes a passage from the Zhou li, one of the three surviving ritual texts (the others being the Li ji and the Yi li, compiled in the Han dynasty as an attempt to systemize earlier ideas and beliefs), which categorizes six ritual jades (or qi): - the cong tube - the bi disc - the gui ceremonial scepter or blade - the zhang blade - the hu tiger pendant - the huang arc pendant Chinese Jade: from the Neolithic to the Qing, (p 56). ** Ibid., p 122