The
bi or pi is a simple form, a flat disc with a central circular hole,
first used in Neolithic times, mostly in eastern China. The original
use of this object was ritual. The Hongshan culture in the
north-east produced small bi in round or square form with rounded
corners and two holes for suspension, but they also produced larger
size discs, plain round, notched and collared, which are not well
documented. Although they were in use during other Neolithic
cultures, it was the Liangzhu culture during which they became
prominent for their size and the number found in individual burials.
The
bi is believed to be the symbol of Heaven and, like the cong, was
used by shamans in religious ceremonies. The large numbers found in
some well-documented tombs ascribe to the fact that the bi had
significant meaning throughout life and into the after-life. The
high value put on jade throughout history ensured that its use was
reserved for the upper echelon of society as was clearly indicated by
the tombs that contained large numbers of jade objects. The famous
excavation of the Liangzhu culture tomb M20 at Fanshan, Yuhang,
Zhejiang province, yielded forty-two bi discs, and tomb M3 at Sidun,
Wujin county, Jiangsu province, held twenty-four. Most of the discs
were of poor quality stone, with the finest quality reserved for
prominent positions on the body.
During
the Warring States period, glass was produced and used as a
substitute for jade. It has been suggested that glass was regarded
as a cheaper alternative to jade, and used by the middle strata of
society. However, it should be noted that five glass bi were part of
the inventory of tomb goods from the Western Han dynasty tomb of Zhao
Mo (Hu), Emperor Wen, the second Nanyue king. His tomb held
seventy-one discs and rings, and 139 pottery discs. This could lead
to the assumption that perhaps at this time a certain number of bi
were necessary for the burial ceremony, and allowed the use of
pottery discs to make up the number.
During
the Zhou and Han dynasties the decoration on bi reached the highest
form of art. They were elaborately decorated in low and high-relief
depicting religious themes, battle scenes, hunting, the dragon and
phoenix and other animals. The bi continued to be used to a lesser
degree through the following periods of Chinese history, and the
original ritual use declined. Even today, in modern history, the
circular design of the bi has significance and is popularly used in
jewellery.
Shown
below are some of the more unusual bi in our collection.
#1.
Period: Liangzhu culture (approximately 3000 - 2000 BC0.
Medium: Nephrite jade.
Colour: Yellow-green with red-brown areas.
Dimensions: Diameter 24.4 cm; thickness 1.3 cm.
The bi has three zones of design. The outer rim of the bi is carved with the registers seen in Liangzhu cong, with alternating anthropomorphic and zoomorphic masks. The central zone is recessed by approximately 3.5 mm, and has six zoomorphic masks surrounding a small bi. This small bi is divided into two sections by a shallow channel and each section is in the form of a huang with pierced work depicting a zoomorphic mask. The central perforation has been drilled from both sides, leaving a ridge in the middle.
#2.
Period: Liangzhu culture (approximately 3000 - 2000 BC0.
Medium: Nephrite jade.
Colour: Yellow-green with red-brown areas.
Dimensions: Diameter 19.3 cm; thickness 3 mm.
The disc is elaborately decorated with incised line work on one side and plain on the reverse side. It is divided into two sections by a shallow plain band. The top half depicts a human figure wearing a feathered headdress. The bottom half has a large monster mask with large round eyes and straight mouth with two long teeth protruding.
