Ye Shu-xian＇s proposal of ＂Road of Jade＂ brings forward a new way to study the origin of civilization. Jade replaced bronze as one of the major criterions of the birth of civilizations. Ye explains jade as a mystic...Ye Shu-xian＇s proposal of ＂Road of Jade＂ brings forward a new way to study the origin of civilization. Jade replaced bronze as one of the major criterions of the birth of civilizations. Ye explains jade as a mystical witchcraft which has a sacred power for the ancient people. Because the jade is produced in the water, and has the similar color with the sky, both of which have significance for the origin of life, jade is thus considered to be the origin of power. The notion of jade-god gave birth to the civilization in ancient China and triggered competition among the settlements, which in turn, advanced the development of civilization.展开更多
基金This paper is supported by General Financial Grant from the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation （Grant No.： 2013M542363）.
文摘Ye Shu-xian＇s proposal of ＂Road of Jade＂ brings forward a new way to study the origin of civilization. Jade replaced bronze as one of the major criterions of the birth of civilizations. Ye explains jade as a mystical witchcraft which has a sacred power for the ancient people. Because the jade is produced in the water, and has the similar color with the sky, both of which have significance for the origin of life, jade is thus considered to be the origin of power. The notion of jade-god gave birth to the civilization in ancient China and triggered competition among the settlements, which in turn, advanced the development of civilization.
