Chinese handicraft has stood out in the endless flow of Chinese culture : It was an emblem of the ingenuity of the ancient Chinese . Today it still shines in the world . It began very early and develops very quickly . Its achievements are most remarkable .
Jade handicraft is the oldest Chinese handicraft . It dates back to the Neolithic Age , with a history of between five and ten millennia .
China is the largest Jade producing country in the world . Jade production in China has a long history and a large distribution . According to the statement in “Canon of Mountains and Seas” , there were more than 200 jade mines in China . Hetian county in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region has the most famous jade mine . Hetian jade is best in 
color and quality , and commands a high price . It is the most important source of raw material for the ancient jade craft . In all dynasties , the royalties preferred Hetian jade . Beside , Jiuquan jade from Gansu province , Lantian jade from Shaanxi province , Dushan jade and Mi County jade from Henan province and cave-rock jade from Liaoning province are all sources of raw material for the Chinese jade craft .
It has to be note that jade in the Chinese culture has wider implications . Xu Shen is the Han Dynasty stated in his work “Analysis of Words”, “Jade is a stone with five merits”. The five merits are : hardness , sheen , fine color , compact composition and pleasing sound . To the ancient Chinese , jade included not only genuine jade , but also serpentine , turquoise , malachite , agate , crystal , amber , ruby , emerald and other colored precious stones .
As early as 7,000 years ago ,in the period of Hemudu Culture in the south of China , the primitives selected fine stones in the course of making stone tools to make ornaments for themselves , thus staring the Chinese jade culture . In the later Neolithic Age four thousand to five thousand years ago . jade handicraft had gradually matured . Jade carving separated itself from stone tools making and became an independent craft . Already there were many different jade articles , including tools such as jade spade , jade axe and jade knife , weapons such as jade sword , jade spear and jade dagger axe and articles for daily use , such as jade comb , jade hairpin and jade earpick . There were many varieties of jade ornaments of excellent craftsmanship , such as the jade figurines of man , dragon , phoenix , tiger , etc .
Etiquette jade objects were indispensable for rituals of the nobles , signifying status and power . Jade tablet held in hand represented the status of the noble . Round jade pieces were used in worshipping Heaven . Square jade pieces were used for worshipping Earth . From the beginning , the Chinese jade objects had a mysterious flavor . Jade objects of the Liangzhu Culture and the Hongshan Culture represented best the ancient Chinese jade craftsmanship . Liangzhu jade objects were characterized by large size and symmetry and particularly by the bas-relief . Hongshan jade objects were characterized by the mastery of the craftsmen of the art of carving life-like objects , taking advantage of the original shapes of the jade material . Resemblance and fine workmanship , rather than size , characterized the jade objects of Hongshan Culture .
. In the Shang Dynasty , practical jade articles appeared alongside sacrificial bronze articles . The practical jade 
articles included green jade and black jade food containers . There were more jade articles in the shapes of animals than in geometrical shapes . There were jade dragon , jade phoenix , jade parrot , etc ., in different gestures and postures . Jade tortoise , the earliest colorful jade object , made its first appearance . The jade sculptures marked a great success of jade craftsmen . They would carve two dental parallel lines to that a raised line appeared between them to bring about a more forceful and complicated effect , avoiding monotony .
In the Spring-Autumn-Warring-States Period jade carving art developed to a high level , comparable with the stone carving art in ancient Greece and Rome . Wearing jade ormaments was very fashionable . Every official wore jade ornaments from head to feet . They were in images of dragon , phoenix and tiger in the form of “S” , showing a marked national characteristic . They were often fretted and reticulated , and plump and harmonious . A linked jade pendent unearthed from the tomb of Duke Zeng Yi in Hubei province , and a big annular jade pendant unearthed at Guwei Village in Hui County of Henan province both were made by linking several pieces of jade , showing a high level of craftsmanship .
