石与玉:论中国社会早期玉文化的形成

Stone and Jade: On the Formation of Early Jade Culture in Chinese Societies

根据20世纪以来中国史前考古提供的物证及文献佐证可以认定,旧石器时代,中国史前人类对石头的审美认知和发现是中国玉文化的源头。以此为背景,从对一般石材的制作和使用,到注意其中美丽的石头,再到将目光集中于其中的玉,体现了史前人类价值取向不断聚集的特征。这一聚集使玉从石器的实用价值中逐步剥离出来,兼具了观赏器、礼器等诸种价值面向。易言之,从自然物到审美物、再到观念物,清晰标示了中国早期玉文化的形成路径。至西周时期,上古用玉的表意或象征体系趋于完备,开启了后世中国以通神、养生、象德为主导价值的玉文化传统。

Based on the physical evidences and documents obtained through archeological explorations about prehistoric China since the 20th century, it can be certain that during the Paleolithic period, the prehistoric Chinese inhabitants created the origin for Chinese jade culture with their aesthetic recognition and discovery of stones. Against this background, the process from the production and utility of ordinary stone material, to the notice of beautiful stones, till the focus on jade, reflects the concentrating feature of prehistoric human values. This concentration process gradually separated jade from the practical value of stones, so that it is of various value dimensions as objects of collection and etiquette. In other words, the change from natural object to aesthetic object, until conceptualized object, indicates the path of formation of early Chinese jade culture. By the Western Zhou Dynasty, the ancient ideographic or symbolic system of jade was complete, which initiated the jade culture and tradition for future generations of Chinese people who take deity, health, and morality as the core of jade culture.